Monster Cupcakes

Betty's Easy Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Line 2 x 12-cup muffin pans with paper cupcake cases.
2. Open the cake box, remove enclosed frosting sachet and reserve for another use. Place the cake mix, eggs, butter and milk in a bowl, then whisk (by hand or with an electric mixer) for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Divide the mixture evenly among the cupcake cases. Bake both pans together in the oven for 18-22 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely; about 30 minutes.
3. Divide the frosting equally between 3 bowls and use the food colouring pastes or gels to colour each bowl of frosting to the desired shade.
4. Fit 3 disposable piping bags with small star or grass/hair piping nozzles (see Tips). Spoon 1 colour of frosting into each bag. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake to look like monster’s fur and to give funny features such as spiky hair. Use different combinations of frosting to create different monsters! Dot each cupcake with 2-3 eyeballs. Use the black writing icing to pipe mouths and eyebrows on some of the cupcakes. Serve immediately or keep in a cool place for up to 2 days.

Betty's Tips

• To get the straggly fur effect you’ll need to buy a small piping nozzle with lots of small holes so the frosting comes out to look like fur – they are sometimes called multiple opening tips or grass/hair icing nozzles. Look online or buy from a specialist cake decorating shop. If you can’t find this type of nozzle, use a star-shaped nozzle instead.
• If you don’t want to use piping bags and nozzles, swirl the different coloured frosting on top of the cupcakes, then simply use tubes of writing icing to create scary faces.