Ingredients
Cupcakes
Buttercream
To decorate
Method
Cupcakes
1.Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper or foil cases.
2.Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.
3.Add eggs, one by one, beating lightly after each addition until combined. Stir in essence, flour and milk.
4.Spoon into prepared holes. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean.
5.Stand in tray for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6.Meanwhile, to make the buttercream icing, use an electric mixer to beat the butter in a large bowl until as white as possible. Gradually beat in icing sugar and milk until fluffy.
To decorate
7.Spread cupcakes with buttercream.
8.Roll out red fondant until 0.5cm thick. Using a 7cm round cookie cutter, cut 12 discs from fondant.
9.Roll out green fondant; cut into 12 x 1cm-thick strips.
10.Top cupcakes with a red fondant disc, then a strip of green fondant.
11.Decorate with cachous, and allow fondant to dry.
It won’t be necessary to use all of the buttercream for this recipe; any leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
Note
