Twit Twooo, Hooting Halloween Owls - Halloween Cupcakes/Muffins

Ingredients

CAKES or MUFFINS

• 280 g butter, softened
• 280 g golden caster sugar
• 200 g self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 6 medium eggs

FOR ICING AND DECORATION

• 200 g butter, softened
• 280 g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• liquorice allsorts, sweets or candies
• paper baking cups, brown

Directions

1. 1

   OWLS.

2. 2

   Heat oven to 190C/380F/gas 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with brown muffin cases. Beat the first 5 ingredients to a smooth batter and spoon between the cases, almost filling them to the top. You may have a little left over. (Alternatively, use a fairy cake or cup cake tin for smaller ones - again, try to find some brown paper cases. You should be able to make 24 "owls" if you make them in the smaller cake tin.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and spongy. Cool on a rack.

3. 3

   DECORATION.

4. 4

   Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth, and then add the cocoa powder, mixing well. Slice off the very tops of the cakes and cut each piece in half. Spread a generous layer of icing over each cake.

5. 5

   Working on one cake at a time, take a pair of the large round liquorice allsorts sweets/candy that are yellow or pink with black centres, see photos. Sit the eyes on top of the cake; then add the two pieces of cake cut from the top (curved edge up) behind the eyes but slightly slanted towards the eyes - to make the eyebrows or owl's ears. Finish by adding a piece of orange or pink sweet/candy, in between the eyes to the front, for the beak.

6. 6

   Watch the owls "fly" off the table when the children see them!