Children love making birthday cupcakes. These birthday cupcakes are easy to make and they look wonderful when decorated.to look like animals. You can buy vanilla frosting in tubs if you don’t want to make your own buttercream.

Birthday Cupcake Method: 

100g/4 oz soft margarine 
100g/4 oz caster sugar
100g/4 oz self-raising flour 
2 medium eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

Buttercream
100g (4 oz)  butter, softened 
225g (8 oz) icing sugar, sieved
1 tbsp water

Decoration
Langue de chat biscuits
Brown and yellow Smarties or M & M’s
Giant chocolate buttons
Tube of black Writing Icing

Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time with 1 tablespoon of the flour.  Add the vanilla essence and fold in the remaining flour.
Line a bun tin with 8 paper cases and half fill each case with the mixture.

Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180C/350F for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and the cakes spring back when you press them with your fingertips. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

To make the buttercream, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl.  Beat the butter until creamy in an electric mixer. Gradually add the icing sugar to the butter, beating until smooth. Finally beat in the water.

Once the cakes are completely cool, spread a layer of buttercream over the cupcakes using a palette knife.

Stick on biscuit ears and add sweets for the eyes and noses. Draw pupils on the eyes and mouths for the puppies using the tube of black Writing Icing.

MAKES 8 CUPCAKES