Name: Annabel Karmel's Halloween brain cupcakes recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Makes: 18
Ingredients: 125g (4½oz) soft margarine; 125g (4½oz) caster sugar; 2 large eggs; 125g (4½oz) self-raising flour; 1tsp vanilla essence; 1 tub creamy vanilla icing (available in large supermarkets)

By Annabel Karmel

published 2 October 2019

Kids will love these 'brain' Halloween cupcakes from kids' food expert, Annabel Karmel. They're spot-on for a scary Halloween party or for little boys and girls who love everything grim and gory.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

125g (4½oz) soft margarine
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g (4½oz) self-raising flour
1tsp vanilla essence
1 tub creamy vanilla icing (available in large supermarkets)

For the decoration:

1 tub of vanilla frosting
Icing sugar
Red and black food colouring

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4). Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at time, together with a tablespoon of flour. Add the vanilla essence and fold in the remaining flour.
Line a bun tin with paper cases and half fill each case with the mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 mins. You can tell they are done when they have risen, are golden in colour and spring back into shape when pressed with your finger. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Add the icing sugar to a tub of ready-made vanilla frosting to make it stiff enough to pipe. Add a little red and black food colouring to make the brain pinkish grey. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes and, using red food colouring and a cocktail stick, draw red veins on the icing.

Annabel Karmel MBE is a chef and author of over 40 cookbooks based on nutrition, and cooking for babies, children and families. With her career spanning over 25 years she has pioneered the way families feed their babies and children all the world over.