HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES

These delicious Halloween cupcakes are easy to make and are a great spooky addition to your Halloween party set up.

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20-25 MINUTES

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Cupcake ingredients
125g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
125g butter, soft
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
50g chocolate chips

Icing
Either 400g tub of ready made butter cream
Or 200g softened butter + 400g icing sugar + 1-2 tbsp milk + a few drops of pure vanilla essence

Food colourings
Orange
Purple
Blue
Green

Decoration
Black Writing Icing (large tube)
Edible candy eyes

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180° C (160° C Fan). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
2. Measure all of the cupcake ingredients into a bowl (except the chocolate chips). Whisk together with an electric hand whisk. Stir in the chocolate chips, then spoon into the cases.
3. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
4. To make the buttercream. Beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and milk  and beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla.
5. Divide the buttercream icing into four bowls. Add a few drops of the green, orange, blue & purple food colourings to each bowl and mix well.

FRANKENSTEIN
Spread green icing over the cupcakes using a palette knife.Add the edible eyes. Draw on the hair and mouth using the black Writing Icing.

PUMPKIN
Pipe 5 vertical bands of orange icing working from the bottom to the top of the cupcake to create the pumpkin.

Pipe on green leaves using a little of the green buttercream.

Pipe the jack-o-lantern features onto the pumpkin using the black Writing Icing.

MUMMY
Pipe on bandages using the butter cream and pop two candy eyes into a couple of spaces between the bandages.

COOKIE MONSTER
Pipe blue icing all over the cupcake to create thin strands of blue icing. Once covered add the candy eyes.

PURPLE MONSTER
Pipe small stars of icing to cover the cupcake with purple buttercream stars. Once covered add candy eyes.

SPIDER WEB
Spread white icing over the cupcakes using a palette knife.

Using the black Writing icing draw 4 circles starting with the smallest circle first in the middle of the cupcake. Draw a further three circles until you reach close to the edge of the white icing.

Using a cocktail stick, drag through the circles from the centre to the edge, to create a cobweb effect.