Reindeer Cupcakes

This is my kids absolute favourite chocolate cupcake recipe - adapted from the Magnolia Bakery. We also make this in to larger cakes for birthdays!

The cakes will rise a lot so fill approx 3/4 of the way in the cake-wrapper so they don’t overflow when cooking.

I’ve made these for more Christmases than I care to remember for class parties and end of year ballet parties and they are always a crowd favourite - but relatively simple!

Cupcakes:

Makes 12 larger cupcakes (I used muffun sized wrappers) or 18 smaller cupcakes).

• 1 cup plain flour

• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda

• 125g unslted butter (softened)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

• 2 eggs

• 85g chocolate (melted)

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Buttercream:

• 185g unsalted butter (softend)

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 125 g chocolate (melted)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar (sifted)

To decorate:

• pretzels

• eyes (I bought from Coles)

• M & Ms

To make cupcakes:

• Melt chocolate and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

• Sift flour and bicarb of soda and mix well.

• Cream butter and sugar together until light and creamy.

• Add eggs one at a time and beat well.

• Add vanilla.

• Add melted chocolate and mix until combined

• Alternate adding flour mix and butter milk in 3 batches.

• Bake at 180C (or 165 fan forced) for 20-25 minutes.

To make buttercream:

• Melt chocolate and leave to cool 5-10 minutes.

• Beat butter (with a mixer) for approx 3 minutes until smooth and cfreamy.

• Add the melted choclate and mix well.

• Add milk and vanilla and mix.

• Gradually add icing sugar and beat on a low speed until creamy.

To decorate:

Add the buttercream to the cupcakes, add pretzels, eyes and M&Ms for noses (you could use brown and red - but Rudolph is the winner in our house!)