Spider Cupcakes

You can‘t have a party without cakes, my spider cupcakes are ideal for a spooky Halloween party. 

These are a variation of a cake my Nan made when I was little; she used to make them into mice.

Ingredients (makes 20 cakes)-

• For the cakes-175g soften butter, 175g Caster Sugar, 175g self-raising flour, 2 large eggs lightly beaten and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• For the decoration – 200g Chocolate, 2 ½ packs of Liquorice Catherine wheels,20 Large Marshmallows, 20 small Marshmallows,  two tablespoons of icing sugar, drop of water. Black food colouring or alternately use a tube of back writing icing.

To make the cupcakes-

• Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/ Gas Mark 4, 170c if you have an fan assisted oven
• Place cupcake cases in to a cupcake/muffin tray
• Place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a large bowl and cream until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs a little bit at a time and beat the mixture  together
• Shift the flour into the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Using a big metal spoon fold the flour in, don’t over mix.
• Fill each case half full with the cake mixture and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown
• Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack

To decorate the cupcakes –

• Break the chocolate into a glass bowl; place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the chocolate.
• Once melted leave to cool slights
• While its cooling unwind the Catherine wheels and cut them into spider legs, I cut them about 2 inches long. You will need eight per spider.
• Cut the small marshmallows in half
• Dip a large marshmallow in the chocolate them place in the middle of a cupcake, and then spoon some chocolate on the cake until the top is covered.

• Add two small marshmallow halves on stop on the large marshmallow for eyes. Leave them to set
• Once the chocolate has set, using the bottom of a spoon make four holes on each side on the cake and them poke a piece of liquorice into them for the legs
• Make up some black icing using the icing sugar, colouring and water, you want it to be quite thick as it will be the spiders eye. Add a blob to each of the small marshmallows and there you have spooky spider cupcakes.

Enjoy!

By Carol