Ghost & One-Eyed Monster Cupcakes by Foodland

Preparation Time: 40 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: Makes 10

Ingredients

• CUPCAKES
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarb
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vinegar
• QUICK SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
• 3 egg whites
• 340g icing mixture
• 340g Western Star Unsalted Cultured Butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• TO DECORATE
• Green food colouring
• 5 Lindt balls
• White, black & blue fondant

Equipment

• Cupcake tray
• 10 Cupcake liners
• Whisk
• Stand mixer
• Piping bag
• 1.5cm Plain nozzle
• 10cm circle cutter
• 2cm, 1.5cm, 0.5cm circle cutter (or piping nozzles)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a cupcake tray with 10 liners.
2. Place the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Place the remaining ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Gradually add the wet ingredient to the dry, whisking to form a wet batter.
4. Pour batter into the liners evenly (only halfway up the liners) and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool before decorating.
6. For buttercream, combine the egg whites and icing mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
7. Beat on low to combine, then beat for 5 minutes on medium speed.
8. Return to low and add the butter a little at a time.
9. When all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and beat for 10 minutes.
10. Divide the buttercream, placing ¾ into one bowl and the remaining into a piping bag with a plain nozzle.
11. Add green food colouring to the buttercream in the bowl, mix through and place into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle.
12. Roll out the white fondant 2mm thick and cut out five 10cm circles (ghost bodies) and five 2cm circles (monster eyes) and five 2mm circles (monster eyes).
13. Roll out the black fondant 2mm thick and cut out ten 0.5cm circles (ghost eyes) and ten 1cm circles (ghost mouths & monster pupils).
14. Roll out the blue fondant 2mm thick and cut out five 1.5 cm circles (monster eyes) (different sized piping nozzles work for cutting out the circles, refer to the image for direction).
15. To assemble the ghosts, pipe a small mound of vanilla buttercream in the centre of five cupcakes, top with a Lindt ball.
16. Drape over the large white fondant circle and adhere the black eyes and mouth by brushing the backs with water.
17. To assemble the monsters, pipe the green buttercream on to the cupcakes. Make the eyes by layering the white, blue, black and white circles, brushing with water to stick the layers. Press the eyes onto the buttercream.
18. Store cupcakes in sealed container in the refrigerator.