Koala Cupcakes

Every Australia Day celebration needs Koala Cupcakes. We first spotted Koala Cupcakes on Pinterest but grey frosting didn’t appeal (food should never be grey!). So instead, Sarah baked some lamington cupcakes and decorated them to look like Koalas. For the Koala faces, she used pink marshmallows, brown M&M’s, and black jelly beans. We think they look really cute and they taste delicious.

Lamington Cupcakes
(makes 12)

Ingredients:
90 g butter (0.8 stick of butter), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
2 tablespoons milk

Chocolate frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
2 cups icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
1/4 cup cocoa

Decorate:
Brown M & M’s or smarties for eyes
Black jelly beans for nose
Pink marshmallows for ears
1 cup dessicated coconut

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170 deg C (340 deg F). Line 12 hole cupcake pan with paper cases.
2. Beat butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in a small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until mixture changes colour.
3. Spoon mixture evenly into cases. Bake for 20 minutes then turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
4. Frosting: melt butter and stir in milk, icing sugar and cocoa until icing is a spreading consistency. Spread cooked cakes with frosting. Sprinkle with coconut and decorate with lollies/candy (or leave plain).

For other Australia Day baking ideas, check out our Lamington Cake.