COLOURFUL and cute, not only are these cakes easy and fun to make, but they will look great on any table. Perfect for parties.
Ingredients
50g butter
50g caster sugar
1 beaten egg
50g self raising flour
15ml milk
12 paper cup cake cases
To decorate
One small pack of marzipan
Red food dye
Drinking chocolate
Chocolate chips
Icing sugar
Method
1. Heat oven to 180°C Whisk the flour, butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy then gradually beat in the egg.
2. Fold in the flour, this means taking a metal spoon and making a figure of 8 with it, stirring widely as you pour the flour into the bowl.
3. Make sure all the flour is absorbed by the wet ingredients. Divide the mixture into the 12 paper baking cases and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
4. Allow to cool on a wire rack before decorating.
5. For the hedgehogs mix 4 heaped teaspoons of drinking chocolate with 6 heaped teaspoons of icing sugar and 2 teaspoons of water until they form a thick paste. Turn half of the cup cakes out of their cases and place upside down. Spread the chocolate paste over them and cover with chocolate chips. Save a little of the chocolate paste for the ladybird decorations.
6. For the ladybirds, roll out the marzipan and colour with red food dye, using a pastry brush.
7. Cover each upside-down cup cake with the marzipan. Using the remaining chocolate paste from the hedgehogs, draw a line down the centre of the ladybirds’ backs.
8. Finally, with the tip of a knife, blob little spots of chocolate paste randomly on the ladybirds’ backs.