Halloween Hoot Owls Food

HALLOWEEN HOOT OWLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups into 24 muffin pan cups; set aside.
• Combine all cake ingredients except coconut in bowl. Beat according to cake mix directions. Gently stir in coconut.
• Fill prepared muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake 19-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
• Combine all frosting ingredients in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.
• Frost cooled cupcakes. Place 2 butter rum candies on each cupcake for eyes. Dip bottoms of chocolate chips into frosting; place onto each candy circle to form center of eye. Arrange almonds above eyes for feathers. Add cashew for beak.
• Store refrigerated in container with tight-fitting lid.

HOOTING HALLOWEEN OWLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with brown muffin cases. Beat the first 5 ingredients to a smooth batter and spoon between the cases, almost filling them to the top. You may have a little left over. Bake for 20-25 mins until risen and spongy. Cool on a rack.
• Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Slice off the very tops of the cakes and cut each piece in half. Spread a generous layer of icing over each cake.
• Working on one cake at a time, squirt a pea-sized blob of orange icing onto two Maltesers and use to fix a brown M&M on each. Sit the eyes, two pieces of cake top (curved edge up) and a jelly diamond on the icing to make an owl.

OWL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners.
• Combine 2 cups sugar, flour, 1 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
• Whisk buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add flour mixture; mix until well-combined. Pour in hot water; stir until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among muffin tins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Whip 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoon heavy cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in 1 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, 7 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1/4 cup sugar gently to make frosting.
• Spread 1 tablespoon frosting over each cooled cupcake.
• Twist chocolate sandwich cookies open, leaving all cream filling on 1 side. Place 2 cookies, cream filling-side up, on each cupcake to make owl eyes. Place a brown milk chocolate piece on each cookie to create pupils. Insert an orange or yellow milk chocolate piece in the center to make a beak.

TWIT TWOOO, HOOTING HALLOWEEN OWLS - HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES/MUFFINS

Steps:

• OWLS.
• Heat oven to 190C/380F/gas 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with brown muffin cases. Beat the first 5 ingredients to a smooth batter and spoon between the cases, almost filling them to the top. You may have a little left over. (Alternatively, use a fairy cake or cup cake tin for smaller ones - again, try to find some brown paper cases. You should be able to make 24 "owls" if you make them in the smaller cake tin.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and spongy. Cool on a rack.
• DECORATION.
• Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth, and then add the cocoa powder, mixing well. Slice off the very tops of the cakes and cut each piece in half. Spread a generous layer of icing over each cake.
• Working on one cake at a time, take a pair of the large round liquorice allsorts sweets/candy that are yellow or pink with black centres, see photos. Sit the eyes on top of the cake; then add the two pieces of cake cut from the top (curved edge up) behind the eyes but slightly slanted towards the eyes - to make the eyebrows or owl's ears. Finish by adding a piece of orange or pink sweet/candy, in between the eyes to the front, for the beak.
• Watch the owls "fly" off the table when the children see them!