Halloween Cupcakes with Spiders

PREPARING THE MUFFINS

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius for a fan oven).
• 2
  Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
• 3
  Cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer, then add the eggs.
• 4
  Once done, add the flour mixed with baking powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix quickly, but be careful not to overmix the dough.
• 5
  Pour the batter into the paper cups and bake until the tops are golden brown (this takes approximately 15-20 minutes). You can check their doneness with a toothpick: if you insert it into the center, it should come out clean. If it's still sticky, bake for a few more minutes.
• 6
  Before you start decorating, make sure the muffins have cooled down completely, as this will prevent the frosting from melting and the spiders from dissolving.

PREPARING THE DECORATION

• 1
  Cream the butter until fluffy, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Once light and fluffy, add the milk.
• 2
  Fill a piping bag with the prepared buttercream and pipe it onto the tops of the muffins in a spiral motion.
• 3
  For the spiders, melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave.
• 4
  Fill a piping bag with the melted chocolate, using the smallest nozzle.
• 5
  For the spider's body, pipe round O-shapes onto baking paper, then place a smaller circle on top for the spider's head. For the legs, draw L-shapes on the baking paper. If you want to make eyes for the spiders, you can draw them with melted white chocolate.
• 6
  Once the spider parts have solidified, assemble them with melted chocolate.