Makes 12-15

• 200g butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 175g self-raising flour
• 85g ground almonds
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 200g glace cherries, halved
• 50g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds or cherries, halved

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Put cases into a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and fold in the almond extract.
4. Gradually add the flour, ground almonds and baking powder and beat until very smooth. Stir in the cherries.
5. Fill each case two thirds full, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through.
6. In a small bowl, mix a little milk with the icing sugar to form a fairly thick, but smooth consistency. Spread over the cupcakes and decorate with either cherries or almonds

This recipe can also make a cake. Just follow the recipe until step5, where you need to add 300g cherries and add a little milk also. Then line a 20cm deep cake tin, pour in mixture and bake at 140C for 1 hour and 15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool it in the tin before removing.