Woolly Sheep Cupcakes

Easter is just around the corner and being a foodie, I’m already thinking about delicious treats! From warm and welcoming hot cross buns to a proper sit-down Easter Sunday lunch with the family. Sorting through my recipe cards this week, I was reminded of a cute little cupcake recipe from Waitrose – my favourite UK supermarket. Perfect for Easter, easy to make and an eye-catching treat for children. Make and decorate a day in advance and store in a cool place, rather than the fridge. Present them, in a single layer, in a shallow gift box.

Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus cooling

Cooking time: 15-18 minutes

Makes: 12

Ingredients

For the cake
150g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate
50g greek yoghurt
175g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
½ x 130g pack black food colouring (from a four-colour pack of ready-to-roll icing)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Line a 12-section muffin tray with paper cake cases.
Put the cake ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk until pale and creamy. Divide among the cake cases and bake for about 15-18 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (You might have enough mixture to make about 4 extra cakes.)
To decorate, beat the yogurt and icing sugar until smooth. Pack into one corner of a small, new plastic food bag and snip off the merest tip so the icing can be piped in a thin line. (Alternatively, use a piping bag.) Pipe squiggly lines all over the cupcakes.
Using your fingers, dusted with icing sugar, mould the black icing into oval shapes and press gently onto the cakes. Shape little ears and push into the icing on either side. Pipe eyes using white icing and position little balls of black icing for the centres. Use a knife to mark a little mouth on each to finish.

Happy baking!