Showstopper bakes!

The bank holiday Easter weekend is the perfect time to begin the social calendar – a time to invite family and friends for coffee as the first flowers bloom and the weather is finally a little warmer and certainly brighter. The traditional Easter biscuit is a lightly spiced butter biscuit with currants, dredged with sugar and eaten plain with tea or coffee. I like to make these simple iced biscuits for added colour and flavour.

Marbled Easter biscuits

MAKES 30-40

For the biscuits

200g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened
200g (7oz) golden caster sugar
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla powder or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
400g (14oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 heaped tsp baking powder

For the glace icing

300g (11oz) icing sugar
2-4 tbsp lemon, lime or orange juice
yellow, green and orange food colouring gels

To make the biscuits

Cream the