cupcake surprise

My beautiful friend Anna is having her first baby, but has chosen to be surprised by the sex of the child. So to celebrate the upcoming arrival, I made cupcake surprises for her baby shower. Why were they surprises? Because people didn't know what was inside!

Cupcake Surprises with Marshmallow Frosting

Cake Adapted from "Donna Hay, Modern Classics Book 2", pg 54. Frosting from Pixels and Paperie. 

Ingredients for Cakes

125g butter, softened

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 caster sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

PLUS - surprise of your choice: I chose Double Coated Tim Tams chopped in half (they're too big otherwise)

Method for Cake

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Place butter and sugar into bowl, beat until light and fluffy
3. Add eggs, milk and vanilla, beat again
4. Sift in flour and baking powder and beat again.
5. Spoon half a dessert spoon into patty pan
6. Add your surprise, pushing it down (but not too hard)
7. Spoon more batter, making sure the surprise is covered
8. Bake in oven for 18-22 mins until lightly brown (can't really stick a tester stick in it)
9. Cool on wire rack

Ingredients for Frosting

4 large egg whites

1 cup plain sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method for Frosting

1. Heat water in saucepan until simmering
2. Place a bowl over the top, put egg whites, sugar and salt into it, and beat for 5 mins
3. Take off the heat, beat for another 3 mins
4. Pipe onto cakes! (I used a snap lock bag with the corner cut off)

SURPRISE!