Halloween Cupcakes

method:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line muffin trays with 18 cupcake papers. Place all the cupcake ingredients into a mixing bowl. Beat together, preferably with an electric mixer, until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
• Spoon into the cupcake papers and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes in the tin, before cooling completely on a wire rack.
• Now start decorating...
• BOO CAKES Bring the apricot jam to a simmer in a small pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the exposed cake with the jam. Take a walnut-sized piece of ready rolled white icing and add a few drops of natural black food colouring. Mix and knead until you get a marbled effect. Flatten slightly and place over the top of the cupcake. Top with the chocolate letters.
• DEVIL CAKES Knead a tube of red designer icing fitted with the rosette nozzle. Pipe the icing into a swirl onto the cake. Top with the ready rolled white icing coloured with the black food colour, shaped into horns.
• MONSTER CAKES (out of shot) Pipe the cake with green designer icing and smooth with a slightly damp knife. Take a piece of ready rolled white icing, colour black with the black food colouring, flatten and cut into eyes and hair. Finish decorating by drawing on a mouth with the red writing icing.
• EYEBALL CAKES (out of shot) Pipe the cake with white designer icing and smooth with a slightly damp knife. Draw veins with the red writing icing and top with an edible eyeball sweet.
• GHOST CAKES Bring the apricot jam to the boil in a small pan and, using a pastry brush, brush the cake all over with the jam. Place a small ball of ready rolled white icing on top of the cupcake. Cut ready rolled white icing into a square measuring about 10cm and lay over the cake on top of the ball. Finish decorating by drawing on eyes and mouth with black writing icing.