Happy Halloween

And so begins the season to be festive…Happy Halloween! 

Australia isn’t one to really go all out and celebrate Halloween. The only time I have ever celebrated this day was when I was in America… So in order to get in the festive mood this year I baked some delicious cupcakes, that may or may not have some resemblance to pumpkins (you decide). Despite desperately wanting to make a pumpkin pie or pumpkin cupcakes, a trip to the supermarket and countless phone calls made these plans change. I couldn’t find pumpkin puree anywhere and so plain vanilla cupcakes were just going to have to do. The icing, however, is a time to let your creativity and festivities shine.

I used the Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcake Recipe and their Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting recipe to makes these deliciously light and fluffy cupcakes.

What you need:

• 250 grams unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
3. In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. (The butter will turn a lighter colour).
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Combine the flours in a separate bowl and add in three parts to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. This completed batter should look a little something like this once you have added everything. 
7. Spoon the batter into the cups about 3/4’s full.
8. Bake in the oven until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Icing- What you need:

• 3 cups icing sugar
• 60 grams butter (softened)
• 1/5 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• food colouring of your choice

What to do:

1. Place 2 cups of the icing sugar, the butter, milk and vanilla essence into a large bowl and mix together using electric beaters.
2. Once it is all mixed together, add the last cup of icing sugar.
3. Add in as much food colouring as you would like until you get your desired colour.
4. Ice your cupcakes!

I hope this gets you in the festive mood no matter where you live! So, get creative!

Happy Halloween!

Claudia xx