Sophie Grigson's flower power fairy cakes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºC/gas mark 4). Place the baking cases in a fairy cake tin.
2. Cream the butter with the sugar until it's light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, alternating with spoonfuls of flour. Fold in the remaining flour.
3. Divide the mixture between the baking cases. Bake for 15-20 mins until well risen and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.
4. To decorate, divide the icing into balls and add food colouring a drop at a time to create different colours. Using a rolling pin, roll out the coloured icing into thin sheets - if they're sticky, dust with icing sugar. Use a cookie cutter or a knife to create flower shapes then lay different sized flowers to create your own individual designs - star and heart shapes also work well.

Cook's tip: Give the kids free rein to decorate the cakes. Mix together 2tbsp of orange juice with sieved icing sugar and make a thick but easily spreadable icing. Divide into two bowls, colour each one with a few drops of food colouring and place a selection of 100s and 1000s, jelly diamonds and chocolate strands in bowls. Gather the kids around and set them to work! The UK's leading home baking company Dr. Oetker is supporting Breast Cancer Care's Strawberry Tea event through its exciting new initiative, Bakemap.co.uk. The interactive microsite will invite the nation to upload their much-loved recipes and create a virtual cake map of the UK and Ireland, as well as encouraging visitors to use their baking skills and create fantastic dishes for their Strawberry Tea event. Get Britain Baking for Breast Cancer Care.