Sophie Conran's Kiss-it-better Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Plonk the butter and sugar in a large bowl and, using an electric whisk, whiz for about &#8232,5 minutes, continuing until pale and creamy. Whisk in 2 eggs, followed by half the flour, the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, then the other egg and milk with the rest of the flour.
2. Transfer the mixture to paper cases sitting in fairy cake or cupcake trays. Pop in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes depending on the size of the cupcakes. They are done when they have risen and are golden. (To test, poke a cupcake with a skewer or knife. If it is clean when it comes out, they are done. If there is cake mixture stuck to it, cook them for a little longer.) Allow to cool before icing.
3. For the icing, put the icing sugar in a bowl and add a tiny amount of orange or lemon juice (or water) and your colour. Mix until you have a smooth paste: it should be just runny enough to pour. Add more liquid or icing sugar until you have the right consistency. Use to ice the cakes in your favourite way and finish with the decoration of your choice (we used white candy hearts and pink sprinkles).