halloween cupcakes

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven (electric 175°C / circulated air 155°C). Line two muffin trays with muffin cups.

Cream the butter using an electric mixer. Add the sugar and cream again. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Now sieve the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt together, and alternating with the milk gradually stir it into the cupcake batter. Equally divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, cool briefly in the trays, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting: When the cream cheese is at room temperature, cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer. Add the butter and beat until very creamy. Stir in the bourbon vanilla extract. Sieve the powdered sugar and slowly mix it in, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency (if you are making the monster cupcakes your frosting will need to be bit thicker). Now divide the icing into three equal amounts. To one third of the icing add the cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Dye another portion of icing using the food dye (we used green and blue for our monsters). Leave the last portion of icing as it is.

To make the eyes: Knead some of the fondant with your hands, so that it becomes more malleable. Roll the now soft fondant into small balls before gently flattening them. You will need twice as many eyes as cupcakes, so that each cupcake has a pair. To finish gently press a chocolate drop in the middle of each eye.

For the spider cupcakes: Cut the liqourice laces into 3cm long pieces. Pour the chocolate sprinkles into a bowl. Spread some chocolate frosting on each of the cupcakes. Now attach 8 liqourice legs to each cupcake, pressing them gently into the icing. Now dip each cupcake into the chocolate sprinkles. To finish place a pair of eyes on each cupcake.

For the mummies: Knead some more of the fondant with your hands, so it becomes more malleable. Roll the fondant out on a work surface that has been dusted with icing sugar. Now cut the fondant into thin strips. Spread some chocolate or vanilla cream cheese frosting onto the cupcakes. Now place the strips onto the cupcakes, so they look like a mummy. To finish place on the eyes.

For the monsters: Fill an icing bag (equipped with a small holed nozzle) with the coloured frosting and pipe onto each cupcake lots of little tuffs of icing. To finish place a pair of eyes onto each cupcake.

When you only want to make one kind of creature cupcake, you do not have to divide the icing into three portions. For the spiders simply mix in the cocoa powder and apply to cupcakes. You can use chocolate or vanilla frosting for the mummies. For the monsters simply dye the vanilla cream cheese frosting and pipe onto each cupcake.