Fiona Cairns' Little Monsters Cupcakes

Method

• step 1

  Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan/180°C/350°F /Gas Mark 4. Line 2 12-hole muffin tin with 16 cupcake cases

• step 2

  Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, add the orange zest, sugar, butter and eggs and, lastly, add half the orange juice. Beat together using an electric mixer, a food processor or a bowl and an electric whisk. Do not over-mix

• step 3

  Divide the batter between the cupcake cases. Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cakes spring back to the touch

• step 4

  While the cupcakes are cooking, make the drizzle syrup. First reserve just a teaspoon or two of the remaining orange juice for the glacé icing, Then mix the rest of the orange juice with the caster sugar in a bowl. (If you are planning to freeze the cupcakes, don't make the drizzle syrup now; freeze the cupcakes after they've baked and cooled and only make the drizzle syrup – and decorations – once you have defrosted them.)

• step 5

  As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, prick holes all over each of them with a cocktail stick. Now douse the cake with the drizzle syrup. Leave them to cool completely in the tins

• step 6

  Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, make the glacé icing. Place the icing sugar in a bowl and gradually add just enough of the set-aside orange juice to make a pourable consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Pour about a spoonful of the icing over each cake, gently easing it with a spoon so it spreads to the edges. Allow to set for an hour or so

• step 7

  Now you can start to make your monsters. You'll need about 20g to 30g of sugarpaste in various colours (I used 8 different colours) for the monsters bodies and heads, and about 20g of white sugarpaste for the eyes and teeth

• step 8

  Use the royal icing to stick the monster parts together. Decorate each cupcake with a monster, adhering it with a blob of royal icing, if necessary