Chocolate chip sheep cupcakes

These cakes were one of my best friends favourites, she loved her sheep so I decided to put them onto a cake. They're quite simple to make, it's the decorating that takes the time. 

Ingredients:

220g butter

220g caster sugar

3 eggs

220g self raising flour

Vanilla essence

60g chocolate chips

Ingredients for icing and decorating:

160g butter

160g icing sugar

Giant chocolate buttons (for the head)

Small chocolate buttons (for the ears) 

Mini white marshmallows

Brown and white writing icing

Method:

1) preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius, gas mark 3. Cream together the butter and sugar well until smooth. 

2) add the eggs a little at a time and mix, then add the flour and vanilla essence and mix until just combined. Then fold the mixture to get as much air in as possible.

3) add the chocolate chips and fold them in, divide between cupcake cases and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 

4) leave to cool and make the butter cream, combine the butter and icing sugar and mix well for about five minutes to get a smooth and creamy buttercream. 

5) once the cakes are cool, spread the buttercream over them evenly. Take one giant chocolate button and put two dots of white writing icing on it to make the eyes, then take the brown writing icing and put two smaller dots in the middle of the white ones.

6) for the ears, take a small chocolate button and half it, put a small amount of buttercream on one side of each half and stick them to the back of the head (see image)

7) finally, stick the head with the ears attached to the front of the cake and then add the marshmallows by sticking them evenly into the buttercream. Enjoy!