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Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a cupcake tin with paper cases.

2. Put the butter or baking spread into a bowl with the caster sugar. Use an electric handheld mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. (You can do this by hand, but make sure your butter is very, very soft.)

3. Add the beaten egg to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Beat in the self-raising flour and add the milk to slightly loosen the mixture. Stir in the lemon zest, if using.

5. Spoon the cupcake mixture into the lined tin so that each case is half-full (about 50g per cupcake). Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown and springy to the touch. When the cakes are done, allow to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. For the decoration, make a simple buttercream icing by beating together the softened butter with the sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy.

7. Spread a very thin layer of buttercream over each cooled cupcake. This will smooth out lumps and bumps and allow you to level any uneven cupcakes. Reserve some buttercream for the eyes and nose.

8. Dust the work surface lightly with icing sugar, then roll out the yellow fondant icing to a thickness of 3mm. Use a 6cm round plain cookie cutter to cut out 14 discs, re-rolling the trimmings as necessary. Place a yellow disc on each cupcake and smooth it down with your fingers.

9. Use the remaining yellow fondant to make 28 marble-sized balls. Use the end of a small, clean paintbrush or chopstick to indent the centre of the ball and pull down to flatten the bottom, creating a bear ear shape. Dip the paintbrush in water and paint a very little bit onto the cupcakes where the ears should go. Gently press each ear into place. Leave enough space between the ears to fit Pudsey’s bandage.

10. Roll out the white fondant icing to a thickness of 2mm. Use the cookie cutter to cut out a disc, then use it to cut a quarter of the circle off on the left-hand side. (The rugby-ball shaped trimming can be re-rolled.) Use a knife to cut off a third of the circle on the right hand side. This odd triangular shape is Pudsey’s bandage.

11. Paint a little water where Pudsey’s bandage should sit, from between his ears to the left side of his face. Lay the white fondant bandages on the wet surface, slightly shaping the bandage so that it curves to the left, leaving room in the centre of the cupcake for Pudsey’s nose. Repeat with the rest of the white fondant.

12. Paint a little water on the top of Pudsey’s bandage and place the rainbow sprinkles on to create polka dots.

13. Mix the black food colouring with the remaining buttercream. Place in a small piping bag fitted with a writing nozzle (or you can make one from baking paper by rolling it into a cone shape). Pipe an eye and nose on each Pudsey. You can add a smile and eyebrows if you like, too.

14. Allow the cupcakes to dry slightly before storing in an airtight tin in a single layer.