Creepy Cupcakes Recipe

You will need:

• muffin cases
• 70g of plain chocolate
• 5oz of butter
• 5oz of caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 6oz of self raising flour
• a separate 6oz of butter
• 1 table spoon of milk
• 12oz of icing sugar
• orange food colouring
• piping bags and attachments
• spooky decorations of your choice

Here I present to you my quick and easy Halloween sweet treat that is not only fun to bake but also delightfully yummy. This recipe is based upon the Sweet Shop Chocolate Cupcakes recipe and buttercream recipe from the 1001 Cupcakes, Cookies and Other Tempting Treats recipe book, which I have referenced at the bottom of this post, and will guide you on how to make fluffy chocolate cupcakes, which I have turned into Halloween treats by giving the buttercream icing a Halloween twist and adding a sprinkling of spooktacular sweets. Hope you enjoy! 

Begin by pre-heating your oven to 180°c and line a cake tin with 9 muffin cases. Melt your chocolate, in a heat proof bowl, over a pan of simmering water (and by simmering I mean gentle bubbles). As soon as all your chocolate is melted you want to take it off the heat and leave it to cool slightly. Beat the butter and sugar together now, until a nice fluffy consistency is created. 

Then add the lightly beaten eggs and gradually add the melted chocolate. Once your mixture resembles a light chocolate colour, like mine below, you want to sift in the flour. Do this bit by bit, folding it into the mixture each time.

When all the flour is mixed in you want to spoon the mixture into your paper cases. I would say fill the cases just below three quarters of the way, but definitely no more than that. If like me you have some left over mixture feel free to stick in another paper case and add an extra cupcake. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. Now if I were you I would take this opportunity to wash the dishes you have previously used, as you may need them again for decorating. Once removed from the oven and a fork comes out clean from the cake leave to cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, to get started on making the icing sugar beat the butter and milk together. Then gradually sift in the icing sugar, like you did with the flour beforehand. However this time you don't need to fold the icing sugar into the mixture; you can simply mix it in. Once you have mixed all icing sugar into the mixture go ahead and add about 4 capfuls of orange food colouring. Mix until the colour is even. Now spoon your butter cream into the piping bag. I must admit this part is much easier when you have two people "she says whilst looking at the orange buttercream splattered across the floor". Starting from the outer edges pipe a spiral of buttercream towards the middle of the cupcake, making a small peak to finish. 

To finish sprinkle your 'spooktackular' decorations on top.

1001 Cupcakes, Cookies & Other Tempting Treats, Love Food, © Parragon Books Ltd 2011.