HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES

2022 contestant Dawn says: ‘I always find myself last-minute baking for Halloween, so if it’s in the cupboard, it goes in! These cupcakes are chocolate-flavoured with a little bit of aromatic coffee to enhance the chocolatiness.’

YOU WILL NEED Ice-cream scoop (optional) ● 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with 12 orange cupcake cases ● 8cm round cutter ● Fine cake-decorating paintbrush

MAKES 12 HANDS ON 1 HOUR BAKE 20 MINS FOR THE CUPCAKES

120ml whole milk 2tsp lemon juice 150g plain flour 225g caster sugar 1tsp coffee powder 40g cocoa powder 1tsp baking powder ½tsp bicarbonate of soda ¼tsp salt 2 eggs 120ml vegetable oil 1tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

150g unsalted butter, cubed and softened 300g icing sugar, sifted 1tsp vanilla extract A few drops of bright green food-colouring gel

TO DECORATE

50g ready-to-roll green fondant

400g ready-to-roll orange fondant

1 pot of edible gold dust

Make the cupcakes

Heat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. In a jug, mix the milk with the lemon juice, then set this aside to curdle and thicken slightly.

Sift the flour, caster sugar, coffee powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Add the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla to the jug containing the milk and lemon juice mixture, then whisk to combine.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and