Twit Twooo, Hooting Halloween Owls - Halloween Cupcakes/Muffins

French Tart's Note:

These are GREAT fun! Bake some chocolate fairy cakes, muffins or cupcakes, decorate them and then turn them into Hooting Halloween Owls! I made these last year for a children's Halloween party, and they all loved them. The recipe is based on our British fairy cake or angel cake recipe, where the top of the baked cake or muffin is cut off to create the "wings". I have stated some sweets (candy) that are British - please use your own local sweets to decorate the owls. This is a wonderful recipe idea that I have changed and adapted from Tana Ramsay, the wife of the famous Gordon Ramsay.....she has some great family recipes, of which this is one. (Preparation time includes the time to decorate and ice them after they have been baked.) My Spooky Spider Cupcakes/Muffins for a Howling Halloween! would also be great Halloween companions for these hooting owls!

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 12-24

Yield: 12.0 cupcakes

CAKES or MUFFINS

• 280 g butter , softened
• 280 g golden caster sugar
• 200 g self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 6 medium eggs

FOR ICING AND DECORATION

• 200 g butter , softened
• 280 g icing sugar , sifted
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• liquorice allsorts, sweets or candy
• paper baking cup , brown

Directions:

1. OWLS.
2. 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.
3. DECORATION.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Watch the owls "fly" off the table when the children see them!

Reviews

[Sue Tip]

I made gluten free cupcakes and used scizzors to cut marshmellows for the whites of the eyes and M&M's for the pupils. Either peanut or regular M&M's. I used cashews for the nose. They were amazing!

[~Leslie~]

How terrific is this? My 9 year old and I had a ball while making these for her Class Halloween Party. She doesn't care for licorice, so we used Maynards' Fuzzy Peach candy for the eyes and Candy Corn for the beaks. I do think the licorice looks better, but the peach eyes were still very cute, and the kids in the Grade 4 class loved them. Thanks for posting such a cute recipe FT!! Made for Aussie Swap :)