Halloween Cupcakes

Ingredients

Method

For the cupcake base for all 3 recipes:

• Step 1

  Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and fill a 12 cupcake tray with cases.

• Step 2

  Using an electric whisk, beat 110g softened butter and 110g golden caster sugar together until pale and fluffy then whisk in 2 large eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

• Step 3

  Add ½ tsp vanilla extract, 110g self-raising flour and a pinch of salt, whisk until just combined then spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases.

• Step 4

  Bake for 15 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Spooky Strawberry Ghosts:

• Step 1

  Pipe a large mound of icing in the centre of the cupcake, turn over and flatten on baking paper. Refrigerate for an hour to set icing and peel off.

• Step 2

  Melt white chocolate and drizzle a puddle on to the cupcake. Cut the stalk off a strawberry.

• Step 3

  Using cocktail sticks, coat the strawberry in the chocolate and stick on the puddle at an angle. Draw face on with black icing.

For the Sweet & Sticky Spider Webs:

• Step 1

  Ice the surface of the cupcake with chocolate buttercream in a swirl motion.

• Step 2

  Melt a small bowl of marshmallows and stir to create a gooey consistency. Pick up the gooey mixture between your fingers and stretch them across the icing to create a spider web.

• Step 3

  Use black fondant, edible eyes and black icing to create edible spiders and place on the web.