Halloween Cupcakes

                                              (I think this was meant to be a red legged spider!!)

As I said in the Gingerbread Skeletons post, I am possibly the least artistic person to walk this planet, so if I can decorate cupcakes anyone can. I kept the decorations simple, so spiderwebs, pumpkins and monster type things with long red legs were the order of the day! Feel free to be as adventurous as you wish.  Just make sure you set aside a good hour to clean up afterwards. Icing sugar gets everywhere!

Thank-you to Silverspoon for sending me the products to try.

Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
250 g unsalted butter, softened
250 g caster sugar
250 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing
220 g unsalted butter, softened
400 g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Silverspoon writing icing, colourings and choco beans to decorate (as well as other sweets such as red laces, liquorice)

Method: makes 18
Step 1: Preheat oven to 175c. Line 2 cupcake tins with paper cases
Step 2: Put all the cupcake ingredients in a standing mixer (or a big bowl to mix with handheld mixer or by hand) and mix for 3 minutes until pale.
Step 3: Divide into 18 cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Step 5: To make the icing - Mix together the icing sugar and softened butter with the vanilla extract, divide between 3 bowls.
Step 6: Put 4-5 drops of green colouring in one, a mix of red and yellow colouring in the other and leave the last one white (make sure the icing is mixed thoroughly).
Step 7: Decorate cupcakes as desired. I got hold of the Halloween cupcake surrounds from Morrisons.