Makes10-12
Ingredients
To bake
140g (5oz) self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
110ml (4floz) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food colouring
60g (2oz) butter - room temperature
170g (6oz) caster sugar
1 large egg
To decorate
200g Renshaw Vanilla Snip and Swirl
250g Renshaw Lincoln Green Ready to Roll Icing
250g Renshaw Jet Black Ready to Roll Icing
Pink decorative hearts
Method
To bake
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
2. Line a cup cake tray with cases.
3. Sift together the self-raising flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt.
4. In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract and red food colouring.
5. In a mixing bowl beat (by hand whisk or electric hand whisk) the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
6. Into the creamed butter and caster sugar, beat in the egg a little at a time. Mix in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk mixture, then another third of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk and finally the last of the flour mixture.
7. Divide the mixture between the paper cases.
8. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until risen and springy.
9. Cool on a wire rack.
To decorate
1. When cooled, pipe a swirl of Renshaw Vanilla Snip and Swirl onto each cupcake.
2. To make the caterpillar, knead the Renshaw Lincoln Green Ready to Roll Icing until soft and pliable. Roll out six balls of the green icing in graduating sizes, and place on top of the cupcake, with the smaller ball as the tail. Sit the largest ball on top of the second largest ball for the love bug’s head.
3. Knead the Renshaw Jet Black Ready to Roll Icing until soft and pliable. Roll out twelve tiny balls for the eyes and place on each head.
4. Decorate each cupcake with a pink decorative heart.
See renshawbaking.com for more recipes
