Spiced Cupcakes with Orange Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.

Place butter and sugars into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, scraping sides as necessary, and mix on medium-high speed until well incorporated. Add the salt if using, flour, baking powder, spices and milk and mix on medium speed until well combined and smooth.

Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 full. Place in the oven for 18-23 minutes, until risen, golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Immediately transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool (yes, this is a bit painful, but in my experience if you leave them in the cupcake tray the liners peel away from the cupcakes).

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a cupcake corer or small knife to remove a one inch circle from the top centre of each cupcake. Don’t go all the way to the bottom of the cupcake liner, you still want a base in there.

With each cupcake core, slice it in half, so you still have a top for your cake once you’ve filled it. Discard (or eat) the leftover cores.

Place marmalade/jam and sugar into a small heatproof bowl and mix together. Place in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, just to make it a little easier to work with. Place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of jam into each cupcake and top with your halved cores.

For the frosting: Place butter, cream cheese, vanilla and icing sugar into a large bowl and beat on low until it begins to combine. Then turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until smooth, light and fluffy. You may need to place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up, once you’ve mixed it in a warm kitchen!

Either pipe or spoon frosting onto each cupcake and then top with sprinkles, if desired.

Cupcakes will keep in an airtight container, in the fridge for 4 days.