Easy Halloween Cupcakes

Add butter, sugar, vanilla and milk to the large bowl of an electric mixer (or you can use a handheld electric mixer).

Beat on low speed for 1 minute, or until the ingredients are somewhat combined.

Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, scraping down as needed, until very pale, light and fluffy. Add salt to taste and beat in well.

If the frosting is too stiff, beat in 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

If you are making all of the cupcake designs, divide the buttercream into three bowls.

Fit a piping bag with a large round piping tip and fill with half a portion of white (not coloured) buttercream.

For the base: Start piping from the centre of the cupcake and swirl outward until the surface is fully covered with frosting. Use a butter knife or palette knife to smooth out the surface (note: you can also spread the buttercream on with a butter knife or palette knife, but I find piping first is neater).

Carefully pour a thin layer of white sprinkles into a shallow bowl (or plate with a lip).

Lightly press your frosted cupcake upside down into the sprinkles. Gently roll the cupcake to cover the entire surface in sprinkles. Be delicate — the aim is to get the sprinkles to stick without squishing the buttercream.

For the mummy wrapping: Fit a second piping bag with a small piping tip and fill with the remaining half a portion of white buttercream. Pipe criss crossing lines of buttercream across the surface of the cupcake.

For the eyes: Use the small tip to pipe a dot of buttercream on the back of two candy eyes and stick down close together just above the centre of the cupcake.

Add 2 drops of green colouring to a portion of buttercream. Stir well, adding one extra drop of food colouring at a time if needed, until a deep green colour is reached.

Fit a piping bag with a large round piping tip and fill with green buttercream.

For the base: Start piping from the centre of the cupcake and swirl outward until the surface is fully covered with frosting. Use a butter knife or palette knife to smooth out the surface (note: you can also spread the buttercream on with a butter knife or palette knife, but I find piping first is neater).

For the hair: Cover about two thirds of the surface of the cupcake with brown sprinkles. It's easiest to put the cupcake on a plate to catch the excess sprinkles.

For the eyes: Press two candy eyes close together in the lower third of the cupcake.

For the bolts: Press a brown M&M firmly into the frosting on each side of the cupcake. Leave about half of the M&M visible.

Add 2 drops of orange colouring to a portion of buttercream. Stir well, adding one extra drop of food colouring at a time if needed, until a bright orange colour is reached. You can use any fun colours for the monster cupcakes like purple, blue or green!

Fit a piping bag with a large star piping tip and fill with orange buttercream.

For the base: Using short, sharp motions, pipe small star blobs onto the surface of the cupcake until fully covered with frosting.

For the eye: Press a large candy eye into the centre of the cupcake. You can also stick multiple small candy eyes, or a combo of small and big eyes, to make different monsters.

Fit a piping bag with a large round piping tip and fill with a portion of white (not coloured) buttercream.

For the base: Start piping from the centre of the cupcake and swirl outward until the surface is fully covered with frosting. Use a butter knife or palette knife to smooth out the surface (note: you can also spread the buttercream on with a butter knife or palette knife, but I find piping first is neater).

For the spider bodies: Press three M&Ms (I like brown or red) into the surface of the cupcake, allowing enough room to pipe the legs.

For the spider legs: Place the chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir well. Microwave for further 10 second bursts, stirring well inbetween, or until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Scrape melted chocolate into a piping bag (don't use a metal piping tip or it will set too quickly). Snip a very small opening into the end of the piping bag. Working quickly, pipe six legs onto each M&M to create legs.