Pull Apart Cupcake Wreath Food

PULL-APART MINI CUPCAKE EASTER WREATH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 24 holes of a mini cupcake or muffin tin with cases.
• Beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl with an electric hand whisk until really pale and foamy, about 5 mins. The beaters should leave a trail on the surface of the mix when removed.
• Stir in the melted butter and vanilla gently, then sieve in the flour and baking powder. Fold the flour into the mixture with a spatula, trying not to lose any air from the batter.
• Use two teaspoons to divide the mixture between the cases. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 mins until the cakes are well risen and spring back when pressed. Lift out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the icing, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Divide the icing between three bowls.
• Mix the malt powder into one bowl of icing, add the caramel to another bowl, and the cocoa powder to the last. Stir each well until uniform in colour, making an ombre effect from light to dark between the three icings. Spoon the icing into three piping bags; put the malt icing into a bag with a petal or flower nozzle, and the other two in piping bags with star nozzles.
• On a large platter or plate, arrange the cupcakes so they sit in a wreath shape, touching slightly. Pipe the malt icing over eight of the cakes. Top each with a chocolate bunny.
• Make little nests over the remaining cakes with the two icings, eight of each flavour. Put a chocolate egg into the caramel iced cakes, and two chocolate mini eggs into each chocolate iced nest cakes. Leave to set for 10-20 mins before serving.

BEACH TOWEL PULL-APART CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• Color about 2 cups buttercream yellow. Color about 2 cups buttercream orange. Color about 2 cups buttercream turquoise. Transfer each color as well as the remaining 4 cups white buttercream to pastry bags fitted with large plain round tips.
• Arrange a 4-by-6 rectangle of cupcakes. Cover all the cupcakes with about half the white buttercream and spread to cover. Chill the cupcakes until the frosting is firm, about 15 minutes. Starting at one of the top corners the rectangle, pipe horizontal lines in different colors and thicknesses, keeping the lines as straight as possible. Reserve about a quarter of each frosting to decorate the top.
• Use a bench scraper (a flat and rectangular metal baking tool) to flatten and smooth the buttercream: With a gentle amount of pressure, drag the bench scraper along the buttercream in the same direction as the stripes, making sure to clean it after each swipe. Pipe an orange pair of flip flops on the blanket and make the strap with sour belts. Pipe a white outline of sunglasses and fill in the lens with blue. Pipe a white sunscreen bottle on the blanket. Decorate the sunscreen bottle as desired.