To start you need to make some cupcakes. The recipe I use is 4oz butter mixed with 4oz caster sugar, then add 2 large eggs and mix until creamy. I then add 4oz of Doves gluten free flour and mix together until smooth. At this point you can add any flavours you want, I used a teaspoon of mixed spice and a little canned pumpkin but you could just add a teaspoon of vanilla essence or peppermint essence etc to flavour them how you like. Add a little milk and mix until the mixture is fluffy then spoon into cake cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 190C then leave them to cool completely before you decorate them.

Make up some buttercream using 175g of icing sugar and mix it with 75g of butter. Be sure to add the icing sugar a bit at a time so that it doesn't fly everywhere and make sure you sift it in so you don't get any lumps. Next add your flavouring, I used vanilla essence but again you could change it to whatever you want, orange essence or brown sugar work well, maple syrup is gorgeous if you have any, just try not to clash with the flavours you put in your cake. Add a little bit of milk and some green food colouring and mix well until light and fluffy.

Next use some ready made white icing and mix a little of it in a bowl with a little orange gel food colouring. Mix it really well so you don't have streaks running through it then repeat in another bowl with a tiny bit of green gel food colouring.

Step 1: How to Decorate

To decorate, spread a good thick layer of green buttercream onto the top of the cake, make it reasonably smooth but don't spend too long trying to get it perfect, there is more to life than flat icing!

Next pull a lump of orange readymade icing and roll it between your hands until it becomes a ball. Once it is in a ball shape use a cocktail stick and gently press the side of the stick around the sides of the orange ball to make little indentations that should make it look a little like a pumpkin. Set it down on a plate or worksurface that has been covered with plenty of icing sugar to stop it sticking. Next make a little tube of green readymade icing and stick it on top of the pumpkin to make a stalk. Then roll out a couple of very thin snakes of green readymade icing and then gently place them on top of the pumpkin allowing them to loop a little so they look like tendrils, press down lightly until they stick. Put the pumpkin model on top of the cake. I then sprinkled a little green confectioners glitter around the edges because I am a girl that likes sparkles but my son's verdict was to look at me with an accusing glare and say "oh Mum, what have you done?" I think perhaps it might be best to leave the sparkles off next time!