Beaver Cupcakes

I am never usually one to turn down the opportunity of baking, and today was no exception. At beavers, we had a fundraising event for the Alzheimer's Society, so I thought I would make the most of this chance to bake the beaver cupcakes I have been wanting to try for the past year.

Surprisingly, they were easier than I expected, and I'm really pleased with how they turned out! So, for any beaver leaders out there that fancy a little baking challenge, here's my recipe...

Recipe - Makes 10-12

For the sponge:

• 130ml unsweetened soya milk
• 2/3 tsp cider vinegar
• 100g caster sugar
• 60ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g self-raising flour
• 35g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt

For the buttercream:

• 60g margarine
• 120g icing sugar
• 20g cocoa powder
• 10ml soya milk

For the decoration:

• 50g royal icing
• Red and black gel food colouring
• 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
• 4 ice cream wafers

Preheat the oven to 170C. Place a fairy cake case into each of 12 holes in a 12-piece cupcake tin. Pour the soya milk into a jug and add the vinegar. Whisk and set aside for 2 minutes to curdle. Meanwhile, sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract to the soya milk and vinegar mix and whisk until well combined. 

Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour the milk mixture in whilst whisking. Whisk to a smooth batter forms. Spoon into each of the fairy cake cases until about 2/3 full. Put straight into the oven (as the bicarbonate of soda activates quickly) and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean. Remove from the oven and put onto a wire rack to cool.

Whilst the cakes are cooling, prepare the decorations. Take 1/3 of the royal icing and make into the whites of the eyes by taking small pieces and rolling into a ball then flattening gently with your fingers. Set aside. Next, add the cocoa powder to another 1/3 of the royal icing and prepare circles for the ears in the same way as the eyes. Take 1/2 of the remaining royal icing and add black food colouring. Take small pieces and make into black circles for the centre of the eyes. Press onto the white circles, dampening the backs if needed to help them stick. Finally, colour the rest of the royal icing with red food colouring and make the noses. Leave all the shapes aside to dry out.

Prepare the waffle tails by using half a heart shaped cutter to make arch-shaped wafer pieces. Alternatively, cut with a knife into shapes. 

Make the buttercream by whisking the margarine to soft, then slowly sifting in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add the soya milk to loosen the buttercream. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 0.5cm star piping nozzle and pipe the buttercream in swirls on the top of the cakes. Add the icing decorations and press in the waffle tails to finish.