Name: Halloween Spider Cupcakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 125 g butter at room temperature 125 g golden caster sugar 110 g self raising flour 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tbsp grated orange zest 50 g plain chocolate chips or plain chocolate chopped into small pieces 3 to 4 tbsp chocolate buttercream icing chocolate strands 4 boxes Mikado dark chocolate sticks (pokey sticks) 50 g plain chocolate Licorice Allsorts

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Ingredients

Halloween Spider Cupcakes

125 g butter at room temperature
125 g golden caster sugar
110 g self raising flour
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp grated orange zest
50 g plain chocolate chips or plain chocolate chopped into small pieces
3 to 4 tbsp chocolate buttercream icing
chocolate strands
4 boxes Mikado dark chocolate sticks (pokey sticks)
50 g plain chocolate
Licorice Allsorts

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350 F. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl. Add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture a little at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with the second egg. Mix in the orange zest and the remaining flour and cocoa until blended. Finally stir in the chocolate pieces.
Line a large muffin tray with 10 paper cases and fill each one until two thirds full. Bake the muffins for 20 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove the muffins and place on a wire cooking rack.
When cool, spread a little chocolate buttercream over each of the cupcakes and then sprinkle with chocolate flavoured strands.
To make the legs, take the Mikado chocolate sticks and cut off the piece not covered with chocolate. Cut a quarter of the sticks in half. Stick four short lengths of Mikado sticks on each side of the spider’s body, then melt the chocolate, dip one end of each of the longer Mikado sticks into the chocolate and attach these to the shorter lengths.
Arrange them on trays or baking sheets lined with greaseproof or baking paper and allow the chocolate to set– the melted chocolate will harden as it cools keeping the legs stuck together. Push one end of the legs into the body of the spider and then repeat until you get four legs either side. Finish off with Licorice Allsort eyes.