Celebration Birthday Cakes

For the cupcakes: heat the oven to 200°C (180° fan) 400°F gas 6. Place paper cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar.

Whisk together the butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate: roll out the green sugarpaste on a surface dusted with icing sugar. Cut out rounds with a scalloped edged cutter the same diameter as the cakes. Cut out the centres with a smaller plain cutter.

Attach the scalloped edged rounds to the cakes with a dab of water.

Roll out the pink sugarpaste and cut out 48 diamond shapes.

For the buttercream: beat the butter until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and beat well until smooth and creamy.

Beat the lemon curd with the lemon juice until well blended. Beat into the buttercream until smooth.

Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe onto the centre of the cakes.

Arrange the diamond shapes on the cakes to form a crown shape, curving them slightly as in the photo.

Brush the tips with a little water and sprinkle with glitter.

For the chocolate: heat the chocolate and cream in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Set aside to cool and thicken.