Ingredients

• 60g/2¼oz caster sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 20g/½oz unsalted butter
• 60g/2¼oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 3 plums
• halved
• pitted and chopped
• orange liqueur
• such as Grand Marnier
• 150g/5½oz plain chocolate
• 1 large free-range egg white
• 60g/2¼oz caster sugar
• 80g/2¾oz slightly salted butter
• softened
• 1 tsp orange liqueur
• such as Grand Marnier
• ½ tsp orange extract
• edible gold glitter

Directions

• For the génoise fairy cakes
• line a mini-muffin tray with 12 fairy cake cases and preheat the oven to 170C/150C(fan)/Gas 5.
• Warm the bowl of a free-standing mixer by pouring in some boiling water and drying it with a tea towel.
• Place the sugar and eggs in the warmed bowl and whisk at full speed for several minutes
• or until the mixture is pale and doubled in volume.
• While the mixture is whisking
• melt the butter in a small saucepan. Sift the flour and mixed spice into a bowl.
• Carefully add the melted butter around the edge of the mixture while still whisking.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and place on a tea towel
• then sift and gently fold in the flour and mixed spice in two batches.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and carefully pipe into the cake cases. Bake for 10-12 minutes
• or until golden-brown and springy to the touch.
• Remove the cakes from the tins and cool on a wire rack. Peel the paper cases off the cakes when cooled.
• For the plums
• marinade the chopped plums in the orange liqueur in a small bowl. Set aside.
• For the edible fairy cake cases
• melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Set 12 more fairy cake cases in the mini-muffin tins.
• Once melted
• paint the chocolate inside the fairy cake cases and press the cooled genoise fairy cakes into each one
• so the chocolate lines and coats the side of the cakes. Leave to set completely
• then remove from the tins and remove the papers from the chocolate-lined cakes.
• For the French meringue buttercream
• combine the egg white and sugar in a medium-sized heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.
• Beat continuously with an electric hand-held whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy and all the sugar has dissolved.
• Remove from the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture has cooled and is thick enough to hold its shape.
• Beat the butter to a soft consistency and start adding small lumps of it to the meringue
• a little at a time
• whisking well after each addition.
• Beat in the orange liqueur
• orange extract and zest. Transfer the meringue buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe it onto the cupcakes.
• Drain the plums of their liqueur and carefully top each fairy cake with a plum piece and a sprinkling of edible gold glitter.