Spooktacular Halloween Cupcakes – Sweet & Simple Bakes

It has been a fun bake for our monthly bake at Sweet & Simple Bakes and in keeping with seasonal celebration. I thought being my turn to offer the monthly recipe; it would be fun to bring out our creative sides by baking cupcakes and leaving it up to each individual to create and design their own toppings and decorations for Spooktacular Halloween Cupcakes! We challenged each S.S.B baker to scare us at S&SB with their own cupcake creations.

I chose to decorate mine with; coloured fondant icing, buttercream icing in vivid colours, some decorated with sprinkles, cut out shapes of fondant, handmade ghosts, headstones, pumpkins and chocolate piped BOO signs, and little icing figures. To make the BOO signs, I melted white chocolate and added a touch of red food colouring and piped this onto a non-stick sheet and left them to harden before peeling off. The ghosts, headstones and pumpkins I made from coloured fondant and the little iced figures I purchased.

Sweet & Simple Bakes Baking Event is open to everyone from the novice to the more inspired bakers amongst us! Just imagine the delight of loved ones and friends as you share with them your homemade bakes. Nothing can beat the smell of newly baked goods wafting through the air to get an appetite in full flow! You will receive a warm welcome, so do come on over and join with us and please don’t be shy – take a peek it’s just one click away!!

Spooktacular Halloween Cupcakes

Makes approximately 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
175g (6 oz / 1 &1/3 cups) self-raising flour
175g (6 oz /1 &1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
175g (6 oz / 1 cup) of caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 - 4 tbsp milk
Icing/frosting of choice
Decorations of choice

You will need a 12 hole-muffin tin and 12 cupcake paper cases


Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12 hole-muffin tin with cupcake paper cases.

Sieve the flour into a bowl and leave aside. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until the mixture becomes light in colour and fluffy. Add one egg at a time beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and then gently fold in the flour until combined. Stir in the milk until you have a good dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture equally into the prepared muffin tin and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 -25 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Rosie’s notes: Fill the cupcake paper cases no more than two-thirds full for the cupcakes to rise. If the tops dome a little when completely cool, take a segregated knife and slice the domed tops off and discard, this enables flat tops for icing and decorations.

I have also measured my ingredients that I weighed out into cup measures as requested but please note if using, I cannot guarantee how accurate these measures are.

If using plain flour because you cannot acquire self-raising flour, add 1½ tsp of baking powder to the plain flour.


Own Creative Side.

Now for the fun part; create your own design of toppings, decorations to make your cupcakes as spooky as you dare!