Happy faces cupcakes

Serves:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (125g) butter
• 3/4 cup (190g) white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp cocoa (optional)
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• 2 cups (300g) self-raising flour

Icing and decoration

• 2 cups (300g) icing sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• a few drops food colouring (optional)
• assorted lollies to make funny faces

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a cupcake tin with patty pans and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla, adding in the eggs one at a time.

(To make chocolate marble cupcakes, set aside a small amount of the mixture in a small bowl (about 1/3 cup), and mix through a a teaspoon or so of cocoa.)

Add half the milk, and half of the flour and mix with a spoon. Then mix through the remaining milk and flour

Use a soup spoon to drop equal amounts of the mixture into each patty pan. Add a dollop of the cocoa mixture to each patty pan and swirl through with a skewer to create a marble effect.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cakes bounce back when pressed in the centre, and cool on a wire rack.

To decorate the cupcakes wait until the cakes are at room temperature. Sift icing sugar into a bowl and add enough water to make a spreadable paste.

Add a few drops of your chosen food colouring and mix.

Spread the icing over the top of the cupcakes and then decorate with lollies to make funny and happy faces.

Put the cupcakes on a tray and place in fridge for 30 minutes to set. 

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Serving Suggestions

Note

• If you don't fancy making large cupcakes, you can always use a greased mini muffin tin instead.
• Don't add too much food colouring to the icing mixture, because it will be hard to see the decorated faces if the icing is too dark.
• Use dried fruit and / or nuts to create your happy faces, if you dont want to use lollies.
• These cupcakes will store well for a few days in an airtight container.
• This recipe was created by Jodie Clarke for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder.