Halloween Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan, 325°F, gas mark 3). Line a muffin tray with 18 cupcake paper cases.

Place the butter, golden caster sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs into a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy. (This could take up to 5 minutes)

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before decorating.

To make a boo cupcake, take a walnut size piece of white sugar paste icing. Add a few drops of black food colour and knead it through until you get a marbled grey effect. Boil a
little apricot jam and brush over the top of the cake. Flatten the icing to the size of the cake and lay onto the cupcake. Use ready made chocolate or icing letters to spell BOO!

To make a spiders web, top the cupcake with black designer icing and smooth over the cake using the back of a spoon. Start at the centre of the cake and using white writing icing to draw circles around the cake. Then use a cocktail stick to drag the centre icing to the edge of the cake. Repeat all around the cake until the web design is complete.

To make a monster, top the cupcake with green designer icing and smooth over the cake using the back of a spoon. Take two black jelly drops, cut off the tops and place as eyes.
Using red writing icing make a bloody mouth. Take a small piece of white sugar paste icing and colour black using black food colouring, flatten and cut into hair.