Imagine the kids’ faces when you hand out these eerie spider’s web cupcakes on Halloween night = they’re a real treat!
Ingredients
- For the
- spider's web cupcakes:
- 170g soft liquorice
- 4tbsp water
- 120g unsalted butter, softened
- 120g light brown sugar, packed
- 100g plain flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- ½tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- For the
- buttercream:
- 120g butter, softened
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- Black food colouring
- Piping bag
Method
For the spider’s web cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
Gently melt the liquorice on a low-medium heat, in a small pan with 2tbsp of water. Stir occasionally then add the rest of the water. Leave to cool.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, leaving a min to stir between each addition.
Add the liquorice and mix in well.
Gently fold in the flour mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners, filling ¾ of the way and bake for 18 mins or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the buttercream: In a clean, dry mixing bowl, cream the butter until smooth, gradually add the icing sugar and continue to cream until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla until combined.
Add a few drops of black food colouring to the buttercream and mix until it reaches a mid-grey colour. Spread onto each cupcake using a palette knife. Add a few more drops of black colouring to the remaining buttercream until it reaches the desired shade of black. Spoon into a piping bag and cut the tip off. Pipe the black buttercream onto the cupcakes into a spider’s web design.
Top tip for making Spider’s web cupcakes
Pop a couple of plastic spider toys on these cakes for added effect - but make sure the kids don't eat them!
