If there’s no snow for making snowmen, keep little hands busy in the kitchen making these cakes instead.
175g/6oz butter
175g/6oz golden caster sugar
3 eggs
225g/8oz self-raising flour
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp milk
FOR THE ICING
1 egg white
4 tbsp orange juice
175g/6oz icing sugar
fruit jellies (thinly sliced) and silver balls, to decorate
Takes 45 minutes • Makes 18
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5/fan oven 170°C. Line 18 holes of bun tins with paper cases. Melt the butter and cool for 5 minutes, tip into a large bowl with all the cake ingredients, beat for 1–2 minutes until smooth. Spoon into the cases, until three-quarters full. Bake for 15–18 minutes until lightly browned and firm. Cool on a wire rack.
2 For the icing, put the egg white and orange juice into a heatproof bowl, sift in the icing sugar, then set over a pan of simmering water. Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the icing for 7 minutes until glossy and standing in soft peaks. Remove from heat, whisk for 2 more minutes until slightly cooled.
3 Swirl the icing on to the cakes, decorate and leave to set. They will keep for 3 days.
• Per cake 210 kcals, protein 3g, carbohydrate 31g, fat 9g, saturated fat 5g, fibre none, sugar 22g, salt 0.31g