Halloween Spider-web Cupcakes

These adorable little cupcakes are fabulous for Halloween, which will we be coming up in a few weeks. They’re great fun to make and even better to eat! The best thing is that they’re not supposed to be perfect – they’re supposed to be fun. And, of course, delicious.

Cupcake note: I’ve used small cupcake – or fairy cake – cases here. You could use the larger size cases but they will produce fewer cakes. 

(Makes about 24)

Things you will need:

• 6oz butter/ margarine, softened
• 6oz caster sugar
• 3 medium/large eggs
• 6oz  self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 or 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.

• A 12 whole cupcake tray
• Cupcake cases (I bought these adorable Halloween style cases from Lakeland in autumn 2009. They have a fantastic range of cases!)

To decorate:

• A bar of white chocolate, (200g). You may not need it all, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!
• About half a bar (100g) of plain chocolate.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180oC/ Gas mark 4. Line baking tray with cases.
• Cream margarine and sugar on a medium to high speed using an electric mixer. When mixture is pale in colour, add the eggs, one at a time. Whisk thoroughly between eggs.
• Carefully sift and fold in flour and cocoa powder. (I always substitute a bit of flour for the cocoa to make up the total 6oz, otherwise the cakes may be dry.) Take care not to lose any of those lovely air bubbles!
• Fill the cases with the mixture, careful not to fill them more than 2/3 full. But it’s not really a big deal if you do.
• Bake on a moderate heat for 10-15 minutes or until cakes are springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in tray for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate:

• Melt the plain and white chocolate in separate bowls, over pans of boiling water.
• When the cakes are cool, spread about a teaspoon of the white chocolate over the top of one cake. You don’t have to go right to the edges of the case, but you do need a circle.
• Using a piping set with a very narrow nozzle, pipe three circles of the plain chocolate over the cake, working from the centre. Or, if you’re lazy like me, drizzle the circles with a teaspoon.
•  Then, using a cocktail stick, ‘flick’ the chocolate out from the centre to create a spider web effect. Remember to use a very light hand!

You could reverse the colours of chocolate if you’d prefer, but I find white chocolate a bit difficult to drizzle. I’m sure it’d work just fine if you piped it though.

And there we are!  These cakes are great for Halloween parties or, if you’re feeling generous, as ‘Trick or treat’ gifts. Or just eat them yourself while settling down to watch a scary Halloween movie by candlelight. Just have fun!