Frog in the pond cupcakes

Serves:

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 ½ cups caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Icing

• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Blue or green food colouring

Decorations

• 36 small red frogs (I used a packet of Allens brand) or 12 large red frogs – 12 Freddo frogs (I bought a party pack)

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place cupcake papers in two 12-hole muffin trays.

In an electric mixer, beat butter for 2-3 minutes until pale in colour and creamy.

Add sugar one third at a time, beating well between each addition.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute between each addition.

Add the vanilla essence and beat until combined.

Sift flour, bicarb and baking powder together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa and hot water together to form a thick paste (no lumps), then stir in the cold water.

Add half the flour mixture and half the chocolate mixture to the butter mixture.

Mix on low speed until combined.

Repeat with remaining flour and chocolate mixture and mix until well combined. Ah, what a beautiful mixture.

Fill cupcake papers ¾ full (an icecream scoop is perfect for this) and bake for about 15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Transfer to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

Icing

Cream butter until pale and smooth. Add the milk and the sifted icing sugar.

Beat until well combined.

The mixture should be a spreadable paste; if it is too dry add some more milk, if too wet add more icing sugar.

Divide the icing between two bowls and add about 10 drops of blue and green colouring to each bowl.

Stir well until the colour is even.

For this small amount of icing, I just do this by hand, rather than having to wash up the mixing bowl!

Decorations

Spread half the cupcakes with blue icing.

Decorate 6 with chocolate frogs and 6 with 3 red frogs each.

Repeat for the remaining cupcakes with green icing.

Notes:

• You will be fighting the kids to lick the bowl with this one!
• This is a lovely chocolate cupcake mixture, for adults decorate with chocolate icing or ganache and top with a Baci, Ferrero Rocher or Lindt chocolate.
• For a simpler party idea, use Marie biscuits instead of cupcakes.
• Ice them and plonk a frog on top!
• Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.

Serving Suggestions

Note