Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz plain flour
• 25g/1oz cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 150g/5oz caster sugar
• 150g/5oz unsalted butter
• softened at room temperature
• 1 free-range egg
• 8 tbsp milk
• 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
• softened
• 250g/9oz icing sugar
• sifted
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• green food colouring paste
• red food colouring paste
• Edible candy eyes
• chocolate sprinkles
• chocolate flake
• crumbled
• soft black licorice twists

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a muffin tray with 9 paper cases.
• Sift the flour
• cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and butter and beat the mixture together until well combined.
• Whisk in the egg and milk until the mixture is thick and smooth.
• Divide the mixture between the paper case and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• or until springy to the touch and skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
• Put the butter into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.
• Sift in the icing sugar
• then work it into the butter
• starting slowly at first
• then beating more vigorously once all the sugar is combined.
• Add the milk and the vanilla
• then beat until creamy and smooth.
• Set aside 1 tablespoon of the icing to colour red. Colour the remaining icing green (you may need to add the tiniest amount of red to make an olive green colour).
• Place a heaped tablespoon of icing on each cupcake. Use a palette knife to smooth the sides at an angle and flatten the top.
• Decorate with licorice twists
• candy eyes
• crumbled flaked chocolate and chocolate sprinkles. Use the red icing to draw on stitches with a cocktail stick.