Twit Twooo Hooting Halloween Owls Halloween Cupcakesmuffins Recipes

TWIT TWOOO, HOOTING HALLOWEEN OWLS - HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES/MUFFINS

Steps:

• OWLS.
• Heat oven to 190C/380F/gas 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with brown muffin cases. Beat the first 5 ingredients to a smooth batter and spoon between the cases, almost filling them to the top. You may have a little left over. (Alternatively, use a fairy cake or cup cake tin for smaller ones - again, try to find some brown paper cases. You should be able to make 24 "owls" if you make them in the smaller cake tin.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and spongy. Cool on a rack.
• DECORATION.
• Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth, and then add the cocoa powder, mixing well. Slice off the very tops of the cakes and cut each piece in half. Spread a generous layer of icing over each cake.
• Working on one cake at a time, take a pair of the large round liquorice allsorts sweets/candy that are yellow or pink with black centres, see photos. Sit the eyes on top of the cake; then add the two pieces of cake cut from the top (curved edge up) behind the eyes but slightly slanted towards the eyes - to make the eyebrows or owl's ears. Finish by adding a piece of orange or pink sweet/candy, in between the eyes to the front, for the beak.
• Watch the owls "fly" off the table when the children see them!

WONDERFUL STRAWBERRY AND BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (OR CUPCAKES)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200؛C, 400؛F, Gas Mark 6. Grease a muffin tray or use paper muffin cases.
• Place flour in a bowl and mash in the margarine using a fork. Stir in the sugar, eggs milk and essence and beat to a smooth consistency.
• Add the blueberries and mix gently so as not to break them open. Gently stir in the conserve, just enough to make a marbled effect.
• Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases dividing it equally. Sprinkle with crushed sugar lumps and bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and brown.
• Leave to stand for a few minutes then cool on a wire rack.

HOOTING HALLOWEEN OWLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with brown muffin cases. Beat the first 5 ingredients to a smooth batter and spoon between the cases, almost filling them to the top. You may have a little left over. Bake for 20-25 mins until risen and spongy. Cool on a rack.
• Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Slice off the very tops of the cakes and cut each piece in half. Spread a generous layer of icing over each cake.
• Working on one cake at a time, squirt a pea-sized blob of orange icing onto two Maltesers and use to fix a brown M&M on each. Sit the eyes, two pieces of cake top (curved edge up) and a jelly diamond on the icing to make an owl.

SPOOKY SPIDER CUPCAKES/MUFFINS FOR A HOWLING HALLOWEEN!

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/360°F.
• This is a VERY easy all in one mix; simply put the softened butter into a large mixing bowl with the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Mix on slow with a hand mixer, incorporating all the dry ingredients gradually into the butter and eggs. Increase the speed to medium and then to high. Stop and add the milk, tablespoon-by-tablespoon, whisking in between each spoon until you have a smooth, silky mixture with no lumps. Add the chocolate chips or chocolate pieces and mix well.
• Spoon the mixture into well-greased muffin tins, or tins lined with muffin cases - I do not use cases as a rule!
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until well risen - check with a wooden cocktail stick by pushing it in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cakes are ready.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then gently run a knife around the sides to release the cakes - or take the cakes out if they are in muffin cases. Put them on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before decorating.
• Whilst the cakes are cooling, make the butter cream icing. Put the softened butter and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly by hand with a fork. Add the vanilla extract and mix again before adding the cocoa powder - mix all the ingredients together and then add the milk if you need to loosen the mixture for spreading. The butter cream icing should be soft and silky - but should still hold its shape.
• When you are ready to decorate the spider cakes, cut the liquorice Catherine wheels into "legs" that just dangle over the edge of the cake - mine were about 2" in length. Take the liquorice allsorts sweets/candy that have a white inside and a liquorice exterior - see photos - gently make a hole in the centre with a cocktail stick and push in a small sliver of liquorice to make the eyes. Choose a red or orange liquorice allsorts sweet/candy, which is layered - see photo - and cut each sweet/candy into 4 pieces for the mouth.
• Gently push the legs into the top of the cake at intervals - the icing will go over the top to keep them in place later, so do not worry how they look! You need 8 legs per spider - of course! Spoon on some chocolate butter cream icing to cover the legs and come within 1/2" of the edge - make it look "hairy" by stippling with a fork. Then place two eyes in the top, finishing off with a mouth! Continue to decorate all the cakes in this way, place them all on a plate with some extra sweets/candy scattered around them, and watch the looks of delight on the children's faces when they see them!

MAGICAL CHRISTMAS FAIRY CAKES - CHRISTMAS FAIRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Makes 24 mini cakes or 12 larger ones.
• For mini cakes you will need a 12 hole tartlet tin (these are 5cm at the rim and 1 1/2 cm deep) and you will need to use it twice, unless you have two. For larger cakes use a 12-hole bun or muffin tin (these are 6 1/2 cm at the rim and 2cm deep). You can use the little paper cases according to the size tin you have - I have suggested silver. If not, butter the base and sides of the holes before filling with the mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5. Either butter the tin or place the paper cases in the holes (see above). In a mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. You can use an electric whisk or a wooden spoon.
• Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, whisking to incorporate, then beat in the vanilla.
• Sift in half of the flour and fold into the mixture. Add the milk and the rest of the flour and fold until well combined.
• Spoon into the tin and bake for 12 minutes or until risen and golden on top. Allow to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin. Cool the cakes on a cooling tray/rack.
• Mix a little water to the icing sugar until you have a soft glace icing - add a little vanilla extract if you wish, or other flavourings.
• Spoon the icing over the top of the cooled fairy cakes, allowing the icing to drip down into the cases or over the sides of the cakes.
• Roll out the fondant icing on a board with icing sugar sprinkled over to stop it sticking; press or cut your festive shapes and place one on top of each iced fairy cake. Sprinkle over the edible glitter or sparkles and arrange the fairy cakes on an attractive serving plate.

HALLOWEEN OWL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Spoon white frosting into decorating bag fitted with round plain tip #804 or #4T (with 3/8-inch opening). Squeeze bag to pipe 2 large rounds, sides touching, on each cupcake to look like owl face. Pipe yellow decorating icing in center of rounds for eyes. Top with chocolate chips for pupils. Press candy corn between eyes for beak.