This morning we took the girls for a walk through the grounds of the National Trust property, Wimpole Hall. It was a really autumnal, early morning walk through wet grass (avoiding the cow pats) and among fallen leaves and apples. I loved it.
After we had driven home, I was feeling in an autumny mood so I got Lara and Holly to help me make some halloween cupcakes to practice a design I had been planning - I'm hoping we can make a big batch of these pumpkin cupcakes next month for Halloween trick or treaters.
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CUPCAKES (Makes 15)
INGREDIENTS
3 large eggs
175g melted butter
175g self-raising flour
175g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
150g icing sugar
50g butter at room temperature
45 raisins
Yellow and red food colouring (or orange, if you can find it)
Green sprinkles or coloured sugar
METHOD
After we had driven home, I was feeling in an autumny mood so I got Lara and Holly to help me make some halloween cupcakes to practice a design I had been planning - I'm hoping we can make a big batch of these pumpkin cupcakes next month for Halloween trick or treaters.
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CUPCAKES (Makes 15)
INGREDIENTS
3 large eggs
175g melted butter
175g self-raising flour
175g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
150g icing sugar
50g butter at room temperature
45 raisins
Yellow and red food colouring (or orange, if you can find it)
Green sprinkles or coloured sugar
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (less in a fan oven).
- Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Add half of the flour, sugar and baking powder and mix REALLY well.
- Now add the other half of the flour, sugar and baking powder and stir again until well-combined.
- Pour in the melted butter and mix well.
- Pour the batter into 15 muffin cases (nice deep ones) until each of them is about half-full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes and once well risen and golden, remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Allow to cool COMPLETELY before decorating.
- For the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add the butter. I use an electric mixer to beat it really well and if it needs a little help to combine, I add a tiny touch of milk. Stir in a couple of drops of both the red and yellow food colouring to make a pumpkin orange colour and mix well.
- Using a pallete knife, 'brush' the icing onto the top of each cake, turning as you go.
- Cut each of the rasins into a triangle shape (reserving the pieces that you cut off each side)
- Sprinkle a little green sugar at the top of each cake for a stalk (if I had angelica sticks I would have used them to make stalks)
- Arrange the triangular raisins for eyes and mouth. Use the left-over strips of raisin to make mouths.
- Enjoy
