Ghost Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 70 ml boiling water
• 50g Dunnes Stores Baking at Home cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 175g butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 115g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 60g butter
• 50g Dunnes Stores Baking at Home dark chocolate chips
• 20g Dunnes Stores Baking at Home cocoa powder
• 250g icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 x packet Dunnes Stores Baking at Home White Fondant
• 12 chocolate bourbon biscuits
• 24 Dunnes Stores Baking at Home Dark Chocolate Chips

METHOD

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC / 180ºC fan. Line the muffin tin with the paper cases.
2. Sieve the cocoa powder into a bowl, pour in the boiling water and mix into a thick paste. Add the remaining cake ingredients and whisk together to combine.
3. Divide the mixture equally between the 12 paper cases. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing:

1. To make the chocolate icing, melt the butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave or over a bain-marie and pour into a large bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and a bit of the icing sugar and stir to combine. Continue to sift in the icing sugar, a little at a time, to make a glossy and spreadable icing. If the icing gets too thick, add a tablespoon of the milk and continue to mix (Tip: at times you may think the icing is splitting but continue to mix until all of the icing sugar and milk has been added and you will end up with a smooth and glossy icing).
2. Divide the icing between the 12 cooled cupcakes and use a spoon to swirl the icing out to the edges of the paper cases. Stick a bourbon biscuit, short side down, into each cupcake, until it’s roughly ⅓ immersed.
3. Roll the white fondant icing out on a surface covered with icing sugar, until it’s a few mm thick and then cut out rounds with a 10cm cookie cutter.
4. Drape a round over one of the bourbon biscuits, pinching it slightly to form light pleats which make up your ghost’s body. Stick 2 of the chocolate chips onto the fondant to give your ghost eyes and repeat this process until all of the biscuits are covered and you have 12 ghosts.