1. Start by preheating your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with large cupcake cases.

2. In a large bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale in colour.

3. In a separate jug, whisk your eggs and gradually add them to the butter/sugar mixture, along with the peppermint extract, mixing until fully incorporated.

4. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and the baking powder into the bowl and mix until just combined. Finally, fold through the chocolate chips.

5. Divide the mixture between your cases and bake at the top of the oven for around 22-25 minutes (until an inserted skewer comes out clean).

6. Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

7. While your cakes are cooling, make the buttercream. Begin by creaming your butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale and smooth. This may take a while, but the longer you leave it, the better.

8. Add in the icing sugar, a little at a time, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next.

9. Finally, add the peppermint extract, the gel colouring and the water, and mix again until smooth.

10. Once your cupcakes are cool, transfer your buttercream into a piping bag, fitted with an open star tip and pipe a rosette of buttercream onto each cupcake, before topping with a scattering of chocolate sprinkles.

Did you realise that we’ll be celebrating Mint Chocolate Day later this month? Neither did we, but we’re big fans of the combination of mint and chocolate – it’s actually Mr Baker’s absolute favourite flavour of ice cream!

To help us celebrate the day, Mr Baker is whipping up a cupcake homage to this iconic flavour pairing with his Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes – a deliciously minty and chocolaty cupcake, topped with a peppermint buttercream and a scattering of chocolate sprinkles.

We think they’re totally delicious and we’re confident you will too! Why not give them a go and find out?