Childrens party cupcakes

These cupcakes were made for my friend Ellie's daughter's 3rd birthday. She gave me the idea which came from http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/penguin-cupcakes-686237/ . I made the cupcakes, biscuits and icing with my own recipe. They are a pretty easy idea, and I think you'll agree they're very cute. Their little faces all seem to have different expressions, which was purely accidental! 

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

125g self raising flour

125g sugar

125g soft butter

2 eggs

2 drops vanilla essence

few tbsp milk

Ingredients for the icing

100g soft butter

100g icing sugar

2 drops vanilla essence

Ingredients for the biscuits:

75g butter

50g sugar

40g cream cheese

130g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

couple of drops of milk

Ingredients for features:

Mini chocolate drops for eyes

Dried apricots for feet and beaks

Method:

First prepare your cupcakes. Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcakes. Place all the cupcake ingredients apart from the milk into a food processor and buzz adding milk bit by bit to bring the ingredients together. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tray (approx 1 dessert spoon per hole).

Bake for 15-20min until golden in colour and when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Next prepare your biscuits. Beat the butter until creamy, add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the milk and cream cheese, continue beating until well incorporated. Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Mix until it comes together to form a soft dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

While your biscuit mix is chilling make the icing. Put the softened butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and beat until creamy and pale in colour. Set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Roll out the biscuit dough to no thicker than a coin. Select a round cutter that is smaller than the surface of the cupcakes. Cut out 9 rounds, then cut in half and spread out on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Ice the tops of the cup cakes, saving some icing for sticking on the eyes and beak. Then top with the biscuit halves using one for the head, and one for each wing. Cut the apricots in half, and then each half into little triangles. Use a triangle for each foot, then using the left over icing stick on one for a beak and two chocolate drops for the eyes. And volia, happy little penguins to brighten up any little cherub's birthday party!