With the start of Fairtrade Fortnight less than a week away, (22 Feb – 7 March 2010), now seems like a good time to contact you to share with you a new, never before seen Lily Vanilli Fairtrade recipe.

If you are familiar with Lily Vanilli (described a a "rock n' roll baker" by Dazed), you'll know that her too-cool-for-school, edgy style - a reaction to the overt girliness of the cupcake - has made her a favourite with the fashion and celebrity world, while her choice of unusual ingredients and bold yet delicious flavour and texture combinations make her cupcakes stand out from the pastel coloured norm.

Lily is bringing out a recipe book - Zombies Ate My Cake in the summer, and to encourage fairer baking she has developed a trio of delicious and unusual recipes using Fairtrade ingredients, which I am delighted to share with you.

Ingredients:

4 rashers unsmoked organic back bacon

150g ripe Fairtrade bananas (approx 2 small)

60g Fairtrade honey

100g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)

40g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade caster sugar

140g organic plain flour (sifted)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 large, free-range organic eggs (at room temperature)

Handful Fairtrade Brazil nuts (toasted & chopped)

1/2 tsp grated Fairtrade nutmeg

1/2 tsp Fairtrade ground cinnamon

12 paper cupcake cases

Method
1. Lay rashers of bacon on a foil lined sheet and place in a cold oven with the temperature set to 200c for approx 20 mins or until crispy. Allow to cool

2. Turn heat down to 180c

3. Mash bananas with honey in a small bowl and set aside

4. Sift together all the dry ingredients into a large bowl - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt

5. Cut butter into small chunks and add to the dry ingredients, blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until evenly incorporated

6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition

7. Mix in the banana/honey mixture, spices and Brazil nuts to taste

8. Spoon into cupcakes cases, filling almost to the top

9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean

10. Remove and leave to cool in the pans for approx 3 mins - then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

Frosting:

55g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)

325g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade icing sugar

1/2 cup (4fl oz) organic double cream

2 tbsp Fairtrade honey

1. Beat the butter until smooth, then add half of the sugar, the double cream and the honey

2. Continue beating, slowly adding the rest of the sugar to achieve a smooth, even texture

3. Ice each cooled cupcake with a thick swirl of frosting and top with strips of cooled bacon and chopped Brazil nuts.