Robin Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C, gas mark 4) and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one by one mixing well in between, followed by the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour then spoon into the cases until they are about 2/3 full

Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

To make the robin cake topper, roll out 2 balls of the brown icing, one smaller than the other, for the robin body and head.  Then roll out a small amount of brown icing to approximately 5mm thickness and cut 2 triangle shapes for the wings.

Roll out some red icing for the red breast and cut into a semi circle. Mould some more of the red icing into a cone shape for his hat and push over the top to droop the hat.

Roll out a small amount of the orange icing and cut into a diamond for the beak, fold this over and gently curl the tips open.

Brush the sides of the larger brown ball with cooled boiled water and attach the wings to the body, curl the tips of the wings out. Next brush the top of the larger ball with a small amount of cooled boiled water and press the head onto the body, so that the body becomes a bit squashed. Attach the red breast with some more water.

Next use a small amount of water to attach the red hat to the robin head. Then roll out 2 small balls of white icing and 2 smaller balls of black icing. Attach the black balls to the white to make the eyes then glue these to the head. Next attach the beak to the head.

To finish roll out a little of the white icing and cut into a strip for the edge of the hat then attach and finally attach a ball of white icing to the top of the hat.

To decorate your cupcakes with the flat robin, roll out some brown icing and cut into a disc the same size as the top of the cupcake, place this on the cake using some warmed apricot jam to stick. Then cut 2 wing shapes and set to one side.

Next roll out some orange icing and cut a diamond for the beak and 2 triangle shapes for the feet. Stick the feet onto the cake using a little boiled water. Next roll out some red icing for the redbreast and cut into shape, place this on the cake covering the tops of the feet, next attach the beak to the top of the redbreast, again using water to glue.

Next attach the wings using water, and finally add the eyes using small balls of white and black icing.