Skeleton head

By on October 1, 2013

You will need:

1 cup fresh milk
1 cup of unsalted softened butter
1 1/2 cups of self rising flour
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
4 large eggs
cupcake paper liners
cupcake baking tins
2 deep bowls
Flour sifter

Frosting
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
6-8 cups of confectioner’s sugar (powdered)
1 cup of unsalted butter

Eyes nose and mouth decor
Icing decorator
Seedless prunes for eyes
Chocolate powder

How to prepare the batter:
Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Align paper liners on to your cupcake tin.  Mix the all-purpose flour and the self-rising flour and sift into a deep bowl.   On another bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer on medium speed.  Add sugar a little at a time.  Continue mixing until butter is creamy and fluffy.  Break the egg into the butter one at a time and mix well, alternating adding the flours with the milk and vanilla.  Divide into three parts.  The secret to making moist and fluffy cupcakes, is stopping to mix the ingredients once the mixture is well blended.  Overbeating will toughen the gluten and make your cupcakes dense.  Spoon the batter into the muffin tins.  Make sure that you don’t  fill more than 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or even less.  Prick the center with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, you can take the tin out of the oven.  Let it cool for about 20-30 minutes at room temperature on a wire rack.

How to prepare the white frosting
Mix softened butter in a large bown and add milk and 5 cups of sugar.  Beat at medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until creamy.  Add another cup of sugar and continue mixing for 2 more minutes.  By this time, your frosting should be smooth.
Check the sweetness and adjust according to your taste.   Set aside some for to decorate the top with chocolate frosting.  Store frosting at room temperature while waiting for the cupcakes to cool.

To decorate the eyes    
Flatten dried prunes and position them on top. To make it look spooky,  use uneven sizes and shapes.

To decorate the nose and mouth
Take the white frosting and add unsweetened dark cocoa powder until the color becomes dark brown to match the color of the prune.  Using a cake decorator, design the nose and mouth as seen in the picture and you’re ready to go.

About Marcia Johnson