Melting Witch Cupcakes
Aniseed and lime cupcakes
Makes 10-12 cupcakes
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1.5 cups/330g/12ozs caster or superfine sugar
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3/4 cup/185ml/6.5flozs lime infused olive oil (or use olive oil and some lime essence)
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3 eggs
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3/4 cup/185ml/6.5flozs milk
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Aniseed essence
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Green food colouring
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2 cups/300g/10.6ozs plain, all purpose flour
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2 teaspoons baking powder
White chocolate Ganache
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250g/8.8ozs white chocolate
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2/3 cup/165g/5.8ozs pure cream
For decoration
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black already coloured fondant
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Green fondant
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Blue icing pen for hair
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I also used green coated fennel seeds for hands but you can fashion these out of fondant
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Small paintbrush
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Cornflour for dusting
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Edible pen or icing pen in brown or black for eyes
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Toothpicks to secure the heads to the cupcakes
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You will also need an icing tip to shape the top of the hat or you can also use Hershey's kisses. You will also need a round cutter to make the brim of the hat or you can used bought chocolate coins.
Buyer's tip: it is very difficult to tint white fondant black successfully and it is best bought. I used a Bakels product from Glasshouse Cakes.
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Beat the sugar and oil together for 2 minutes. Then add the eggs, one at a time and then the milk and the green food colouring and a few drops of aniseed essence-go slowly if you aren't a big licorice fan-it can divide people. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder until evenly distributed with a clean whisk and then add this in two lots to the batter.
Step 2 - Pour into a jug for easy filling. Fill each lined cavity 3/4 of the way up or just a little more than 3/4 of the way as you want the witches robes to fall easily down the sides of the cupcake. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool.
Step 3 - Make the chocolate ganache by melting the chocolate and cream together in a microwave or a double boiler and mix until smooth. Cool until you get a spreadable consistency and then coat the cupcakes in ganache and smooth over with a palette knife. Allow to set.
Step 4 - First make the hats. Roll out some black fondant on a lightly floured non stick board (I also use a non stick rolling pin). Cut out a round brim for a hat. Then dust the inside of an icing tip with cornflour and create a small tip with your hands and push this into the tip to form a sharper tip-this isn't as easy as it sounds and you may need to give this a few goes at first.
Step 5 - Then take a walnut sized ball of black fondant and shape the gown of the witch. You actually don't want an even circle in this case. Adhere it to the ganache topped cupcake with a little water.
Step 6 - Clean your hands of the black and then roll some small balls to make the faces. Pinch a small amount for the nose and adhere this with some water. Using a toothpick, attach the head leaving enough toothpick sticking out to attach the hat. Using a small paintbrush dipped in water, wet two little areas to stick the hands. Use fennel seeds or shape hands with green fondant and use tweezers to apply.
Step 7 - Then use the icing pen to draw hair onto the head and use the black pen to draw eyes. Add the hat to the cupcake using the toothpick to secure them.