Colin the Caterpillar Cupcakes

Ingredients

• For the Cupcakes
• 160g Unsalted Butter / Stork
• 160g Caster Sugar
• 130g Self Raising Flour
• 30g Cocoa Powder
• 3 Large Eggs
• For the Buttercream and Decoration
• 150g Unsalted Butter
• 300g Icing Sugar
• 150g Dark Chocolate - Melted
• 1-2 tablepoons Milk - I used Semi-Skimmed
• 12 Colin the Caterpillar Mini Colin Faces (this is one bag with a few left over to 'test'!)
• 2-3 38g Tubes of Smarties

Method

• For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) standard / 160C (320F) fan. Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake cases.
2. Cream the butter/stork and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and sieve in the flour and cocoa powder. Mix until smooth.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cupcake cases. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the cupcakes have become domed, are springy, and a skewer/toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for a minute in the cupcake tray, then transfer the cupcakes in their cases to a wire cooling rack. Allow to fully cool before decorating with buttercream.

• For the Buttercream and Decoration

1. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer or knife to core the center of each cupcake. Add some smarties (I added 4 to each), and then place the removed piece of cake back on top, sealing the smarties in!
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over boiling water (or in the microwave in 10 second burstS) and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Beat room temperature butter for a couple of minutes using a hand or stand mixure until the butter has softened.
4. Add in the icing sugar, and beat till the buttercream is smooth, softened, turned lighter in colour.
5. Add the melted chocolate and beat for another couple of minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until the desired consistency has been reached Be careful, don't add too much - a little goes a long way. You're looking for a smooth and workable buttercream!
6. Use a spatula to add the buttercream to a large piping bag with a 2D Closed Star Piping tip. Pipe buttercream roses on to each cupcake, then finish with a colin face and 4 smarties. Enjoy!

Notes

• - Store your Colin the Caterpillar Cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within 3 days (although they are best on the same day!)
• - For a plain vanilla sponge remove the 30g of cocoa powder and add an additional 30g of self raising flour.
• - Don't worry about the buttercream tasting bitter if you're not a dark chocolate fan; the icing sugar means that this buttercream has a sweet yet deeply rich chocolate flavour! That said, you can use the same quantity of milk chocolate in replace of the of the dark chocolate if you prefer!