Creepy Cupcakes

Simple to make cupcakes that make a huge impact, a trick and a treat all rolled into one!

Heat the oven to 170C/ 150C fan and line a muffin tin with cake cases.

In a mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat in.

Gently fold in the flour until it’s all combined and the mixture drops from the spoon with a slight tap.

Divide the mixture between the cake cases and bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes or until they’re golden and spring back when gently pressed on the top. Leave to cool. When the cakes are cool, make the icing by combining the icing sugar with 2tbsp water to make a paste.

Divide the mixture into two bowls and colour one orange. Ice half the cakes in orange and half in white. Use the black icing tube to draw concentric circles onto the orange iced cakes then, drag the point of a cocktail stick or skewer from the centre of the icing out to the edge. Repeat all of the way around, like the spokes of a wheel, to create a web effect.

Add a blackberry as the spider in each web and create its legs with pieces of liquorice. Use a raspberry and blueberry together on the white iced cakes to make the head and body of a bug and again create red legs and antenna in the same way.

Note: If you’re short on time buy a pack of fairy cakes and decorate in the same way or ice a big spiders web onto a shop bought Victoria Sponge and cover in berry spiders.

Makes: 12
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 120g butter at room temperature
  • 120g sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 120g self-raising flour

For the decorations

  • 250g icing sugar
  • Orange food colouring, a black gel icing tube, liquorice laces & strawberry laces
  • 6 blackberries, 6 raspberries, 6 blueberries