Annabel Karmel's Blog

This easy cupcake recipe below is the perfect base for lots of decoration ideas. You can find the basic recipe below as well as lots of fun ideas for animal cupcakes – great for parties and special occasions.

Easy cupcakes

Makes 10 cupcakes

Suitable for freezing un-iced

You will need

• 100g (4 oz) soft margarine
• 100g (4 oz) caster sugar
• 100g (40z) flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence

 Method

•     Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ Gas 4.
•     Put all of the ingredients into a bowl or food processor and beat together until smooth.
•     Line a bun tin with paper cases and half fill each case with the mixture.
•    Bake in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes until well risen and the cakes spring back when you press them with your fingertips.

Marshmallow sheep cupcakes

Serves 5

Large white marshmallows                    100g (4 oz) butter, softened

Mini white marshmallows                       225g (8 oz) icing sugar sieved

Tube if black writing icing                       1 tbsp water

To make the butter cream, sieve the icing sugar. Beat the butter in an electric mixer until creamy, then gradually stir in the icing sugar. Finally beat in the tablespoon of water. Spread a layer of butter cream over the cupcakes using a palette knife and make a small mound of butter cream in the centre. Arrange the mini marshmallows in two circles around the edge of the cakes.

Arrange some halved mini marshmallows on the top of the mound of and behind the sheep’s head to prop it up. Cute the large marshmallow in half and place on either side of the sheep’s face to make ears – they will stick naturally because the cut side of the marshmallow is very sticky. Arrange some halved mini marshmallows on top of and behind the sheep’s head. Draw eyes and a nose on the face using the black writing icing.

Pink piggy cupcakes

Serves 5

Pink food colouring                                 pink marshmallows

Black and red writing icing

See marshmallow sheep for buttercream icing. Mix a few drops of the food colouring with the buttercream and spread the pink icing on top of the cakes. Stick on a nose made from a large marshmallow and the ears made from slices of marshmallow. Draw eyes and a smile using red icing writing and make the snout using black icing.

Puppy dog cupcakes

Serves 5

Yellow or brown M & M’s or smarties                           Giant chocolate buttons

Black icing writing                                                           Langue du chat biscuits

Spread on the buttercream icing as with the marshmallow sheep, then stick on the biscuit ears and use sweets for the eyes and noses. Use black icing writing to draw on the pupils of the eyes and the mouths.

If you come up with any other fab designs or would like to show us your results, please share them with us on Facebook or Twitter!

AK Team x