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Betty Octopus Cupcakes

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Recipe by April Carter

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes:

• 170g unsalted butter, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 250g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 150g blueberries

For the buttercream:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Betty decoration:

• 100g purple fondant
• small amount of pink, yellow, black and white fondant

Note: Make sure you have a grown up with you to help with baking!

METHOD (Makes 12)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add the vanilla and milk, continuing to beat, and then add the remaining flour mixture, beating until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
4. Spoon into the lined muffin tin until each case is two-thirds full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean.
5. To make the Betty decoration, knead the purple fondant briefly and roll out onto a work surface dusted with icing sugar. Cut out 12 circles and shape into ovals for Betty’s head. Cut out five strips per cake for Betty’s tentacles. Repeat with the pink and yellow fondant and cut out thin strips for Betty’s headband. Roll out a small amount of white fondant, cut out circles for Betty’s eyes and top with small balls of black fondant. Roll out thin pink sausage shapes to create Betty’s smile.
6. To make the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and milk until pale and creamy. Spread onto the cooled cakes and top with the fondant Betty figures, dampening with water to stick on her features if needed.

Note: the fondant decoration can be made up to a week in advance.