Bunny Cupcakes

Betty's Easy Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens)/Gas Mark 4. Line 2 x 12-hole muffin trays with paper cupcake cases.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir the cake mix, eggs, oil and water gently together, then whisk (by hand or electric mixer) for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases. Bake both trays together in the oven for 18-22 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Place 1¼ tubs of the icing in a bowl and beat in a little pink food colouring paste or gel to give a pale pink colour. Spread the cupcakes with the pink icing. Use a teaspoon to top each with a smaller swirl of the remaining uncoloured icing.
4. Spray the blades of a pair of kitchen scissors with the cooking oil spray and cut each marshmallow in half widthways through the thick middle, then cut each half in half again to make 4 bunny ear shapes from each marshmallow. Dip the cut side of each ‘ear’ into pink glimmer sugar to coat. Arrange 2 marshmallow ears on each cupcake.
5. Use the mini chocolate beans and chocolate strands to make bunny eyes, whiskers and a nose on each cupcake. Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Betty's Tips

• If you have only one muffin tray, cover and chill half of the cake mixture while baking the first batch. After transferring the cooked cupcakes to the wire rack, cool the empty tray under cold running water, dry thoroughly, then add the remaining cupcake cases and bake the remaining cakes, adding 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
• Use tubes of writing icing to pipe the whiskers onto the cupcakes if you can’t find chocolate strands.