With brain frosting!!!

It’s been said that the blood of your enemies is like a sweet wine. I say why stop there? Why not bake those pirate scum themselves into something delicious?

Ah, the joys of being a Brutor. Happy Valentine’s!

Blood Raider Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

• 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 175ml/6 fl oz buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 teaspoons good quality strawberry jam mixed with some red food colouring to make it as bloody looking as possible.

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C and line a cupcake tray.
2. Sift the flour into a medium bowl, then add a pinch of salt and the caster sugar.
3. In a jug, combine the vegetable oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
4. Add to the dry mixture and stir to only just combine. It will be thick and fluffy.
5. Place 1/2 tablespoonful of the mixture in each muffin hole and make an indent in the center.
6. Fill each indent with a heaped tablespoon of the strawberry jam.
7. Cover the jam with the remaining cupcake batter.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Brain Buttercream

INGREDIENTS:

• 250 grams softened butter
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• red and brown/black food colouring

METHOD:

1. Beat butter in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in sifted icing sugar and milk in two batches until fluffy.
3. Add in a couple of drops of red and brown/black food colouring until a grey pink shade is reached.

TO DECORATE:

1. Fit a piping bag with a plain 8mm nozzle and fill bag with brain shaded buttercream.
2. Visually divide the cupcake in two to represent each hemisphere of the brain and pipe squiggly lines on top. You can’t really go wrong as the brain matter squiggles go in all sorts of directions.
3. Fill any gaps with a dot of buttercream.

* Thanks to Not Quite Nigella for the recipe