This recipe calls for softened butter. This doesn't mean melted butter, it means soft enough to put a finger indent into but not very soft or liquid. I find it best to defrost cupcakes in the fridge overnight. This will reduce the chance of the buttercream melting or attracting condensation and keep them nice and neat looking. It’s always best to use the freshest ingredients, especially dairy and egg, when you can to ensure the best quality bake. Are Reindeer cupcakes suitable for vegetarians? If you want to make your Reindeer cupcakes even more festive, you could add orange zest to the cake batter for a chocolate orange flavour. You could also experiment with adding seasonal spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to sponges or buttercream.

What really makes these reindeer cupcakes special is their decoration, where a simple arrangement of chocolate, pretzels and candy eyes comes together to make perfect reindeer faces! It’s important to note that these dates and guidelines are only valid if you store your eggs as the box advises you to. A Use By/Expiration/Best Before date has been calculated for eggs tested and stored below a certain temperature, so if you store your eggs on the counter instead of the fridge then they may have spoiled well before that date. To ensure your cupcakes cook properly, you shouldn’t open the oven door until you can see through the glass that they have a dome shape on top and look dry or set all the way across. When you're nearing the end of the baking time and you think they're cooked, do a skewer test, pushing it into the centre of a cupcake to see if it comes out clean. If it has batter on it, return the cakes to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the skewer comes out clean. If you want to make more or fewer Reindeer cupcakes then it's really simple to do so. As they cook in individual muffin cases, the cooking time and temperature should be relatively unaffected, just try not to have more than two trays of 12 in the oven at once as overcrowding can prevent the heat from circulating evenly.As these cakes will be larger, they will take a bit longer to bake. I haven't tested this so you should keep an eye on them as they cook. Once they look set all the way across, do a skewer test to see if they’re cooked through. You can always return them to the oven if they need a bit longer. The chocolate buttercream frosting is easy to make - you simply whisk the butter, icing sugar, cocoa and a splash of milk together until light and creamy!

Leaving the batter out too long. As soon as you introduce liquid to your cake mix, the raising agents in the flour start to work and produce the bubbles of carbon dioxide that create the crumb structure. If you leave your batter sitting on the counter, those bubbles will be lost. That's why it's important to preheat your oven when you start making the recipe so that it's ready for the cupcakes to go in straight away. First, you can simply buy a vegan alternative to butter. There are many great alternatives to butter available in supermarkets, and many UK supermarkets have begun to offer their own brand of vegan butter. It's best to keep your Reindeer cupcakes in an airtight container somewhere cool and dry as the buttercream frosting can spoil if it gets too warm. If you used all the right quantities of ingredients and they still turned out dry or burned, then it means cupcakes have either been in the oven too long, or the oven temperature was too high. If you try with a margarine, remember send me a picture of your results, I’d love to see it! Can I add extra chocolate to this recipe?tablespoons of applesauce. Yes, applesauce! This is because of a natural chemical found in apples called ‘pectin’. Pectin is activated when apples are cooked into a sauce and so it acts in a similar way to eggs. If you use applesauce as an alternative to eggs then remember it might make your sponge mix sweeter. These Reindeer cupcakes contain a fair amount of sugar and fat, so they’re best enjoyed as a luxurious festive treat. For most people, unless advised by your health professional, there's nothing wrong with cake as part of a balanced diet. Are Reindeer cupcakes safe to eat while pregnant? There are many great gluten-free flour alternatives available in most supermarkets. Just make sure to use a gluten-free flour blend that includes a raising agent, as this recipe calls for self-raising flour.