Hallowe'en Cupcakes

 

Hallowe'en is one of my favourite times of the year, my children love it too, they love dressing up, carving pumpkins and listening to spooky stories. How about a little bank holiday baking? These cupcakes are a all in one mixing bowl recipe then bake them and then decorate them anyway you like. So easy that even little hands can help. 

I bought three perfect pumpkins for carving, we have yet to decide what face would best suit each one, but they have been named and will have pride of place next week. I think these tasty cupcakes will keep us sustained while we get ready for our evening of storytelling and games of guess the body part!

Makes 12-14

Ingredients

1 Batch of  Simple cupcakes 

1 Batch of Buttercream
Orange food colouring gel (or yellow and red food colouring gel mixed)
Spooky sprinkles

Cupcake Toppers
Toothpicks
2 x 10cm strips of paper
Sharpie black marker
Glue stick

Method

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5, line the muffins tin with paper cases. Place all the cupcake ingredients into a stand mixer or into a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.

Using two tablespoons or an ice-cream scoop, divide the mixture between the prepared paper cases.

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until risen. The cupcakes will spring back when gently pressed in the centre when baked.

Beat the butter until  in a stand mixer or in a bowl with an electric mixer, slowly add the icing sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and food colouring, mix thoroughly. When the buttercream is your preferred shade, spoon it into a piping bag with a star nozzle.

Hold the piping bag vertically over the cupcake, starting from the outside apply even pressure to the piping bag and swirl inwards and upwards. The slower you pipe the buttercream the more professional your swirl will look. When you get to the top, release the pressure on the piping bag and lift the nozzle upwards. Ta Da!!

For an extra special Hallowe'en cupcake you could make some homemade toppers - I made a simple Boo! flag for mine, fold the strips of paper in half, write BOO! on one side with your sharpie and -glue the paper to the toothpick - decorate with some spooky sprinkles.