Something delicious, spooky and simple for you and the kids to make for Halloween!

Halloween Cupcakes 

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs beaten
• 200g caster sugar
• 200g softened butter
• 200g self-rising flour
• 1 tea spoon baking powder
• 2 table spoons milk

Vanilla buttercream cream

• 250g unsalted butter – soft
• 250g icing sugar
• Vanilla extract

Meringue Ghosts

• 4 egg whites
• 220g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla

Method

Cupcakes

1. Pre Heat the oven to 180 degrees, 160 with fan or gas mark 4
2. Line muffin tins with muffin cases
3. In a large bowl or mixer- beat 200g caster sugar, 200g softened butter until smooth,
4. Now add 4 beaten eggs and mix, sift in the 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp milk together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
5. Spoon into the muffin cases
6. bake in the pre- heated oven for 14 -18 minutes until cooked through
7. Take out and cool on a wire rack
8. When the cakes have cooled, you can ice them

Icing

1. Beat the soft butter with the vanilla for 5 minutes until pale in colour
2. Sift in the icing sugar
3. Beat again for 6 minutes on high speed
4. Add colour if desired

Meringue Ghosts

1. Preheat the oven to 110 degrees
2. Line two baking trays with parchment paper
3. Use an electric whisk and beat the egg whites and pinch salt until soft peaks
4. Now gradually add the sugar a table spoon at a time while whisk is running
5. Whisk on high speed for 5 minutes
6. Add the vanilla, the meringue shound be smooth and shiny
7. Add to a piping bag with straight nossle
8. Pipe into small Ghosts shapes
9. Bake meringues for 1 hour and 45 minutes, turn the oven off and allow the meringues to fully cool
10. Paint on the eyes and mouth with black food colouring or dark chocolate

Friday Food on The Pat Kenny Show with Gareth Mullins Executive Chef of The Anantara Marker Hotel. Follow Gareth on Instagram.

You can hear more from Gareth and Gary O'Hanlon on their GoLoud Original Podcast "Dishing It Out"

All with thanks to Cully & Sully.

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