Halloween Fright Night Cupcakes

Betty's Easy Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted oven)/Gas Mark 4. Line 2 x 12-hole muffin trays with paper cupcake cases (see Tips).
2. Make up the cake mix as directed on the box with the eggs, oil (or butter) and milk or water. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases.
3. Bake both trays in the oven together for 18-22 minutes. Leave in the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes).
4. Spoon 1 tub of the icing into a bowl and add enough red food colouring paste or gel to colour it bright red. Colour another 100g of icing in a second bowl using purple food colouring paste or gel. Leave the remaining 100g of icing white.
5. Use 70g of the black ready to roll icing to shape 16 devil horns and 8 tails (about 9g for each set of horns and tail).
6. On a surface lightly dusted with cornflour, roll out half the remaining black ready to roll icing thinly (to about 3mm). Cut out 8 Dracula hairlines (see Tips). Use any trimmings with the remaining black icing to shape 16 small round flat eyes, 8 thin mouths and 8 bow ties. Shape 8 tiny fangs from 5g of the white ready to roll icing.
7. To decorate the boo cupcakes: spread the purple icing over 8 of the cupcakes. Divide the white ready to roll icing into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out on a surface lightly dusted with cornflour to a thin circle roughly 6-7 cm diameter. Drape each circle over a marshmallow to resemble a ghost and place one on each iced cupcake. Dot the eyes using the tube of black writing icing. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the white icing into a disposable piping bag fitted with a fine writing nozzle. Pipe BOO! in white icing onto each cupcake.
8. To decorate the Dracula cupcakes: spread the remaining white icing over another 8 cupcakes, smoothing it as much as possible with a small palette knife. Position a hairline at the top of each iced cupcake. Press an edible candy eyeball into each of the black eyes and position on the cupcakes along with the mouths, white fangs and bow ties. Use the tube of red writing icing to add drops of blood to the fangs.
9. To decorate the red devil cupcakes: Spoon the red icing into a large disposable piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe peaked swirls on the remaining 8 cupcakes. Add 2 horns and a tail to each one.

Betty's Tips

• Choose different coloured cupcake cases for each character if liked. Red, purple and white cases will work well.
• To cut out the hairline for the Dracula cupcakes, use a 6cm round cookie cutter to stamp out 4 rounds from the rolled out black icing. Cut each one in half and use a 3cm round cutter (or the end of a large piping nozzle) to stamp out two curves from each semi-circle to create the classic hairline shape.
• Although best served on the day of decorating, the decorated cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• If you do not have a fine writing nozzle, you can simply snip off a very small amount of the piping bag and fill and use as above. Alternatively, you can use a white writing icing tube.