Christmas Tree Cup cakes

Basic Cup cake Recipe:

125g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Cream butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift flour and baking powder together.  Fold into creamed mixture.  Stir in milk.  Place 12 paper patty cases in patty tins.  Spoon mixture evenly between cases.  Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly touched.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Butter Cream Icing:

125g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (240g) icing sugar
2 tablespoons of milk

Beat butter in a small bowl with electric mixer until white as possible.  Gradually beat in half of the icing sugar, milk, then remaining icing sugar.  Colour with green food colouring as required.

Decorating the cup cakes:

Jaffas
Green food colouring
silver balls
Piping bag (I just used a disposable one that I found in the supermarket and it was great)

Fill piping bag with half of the green butter cream icing.  Pipe in a circular motion around the top of the cup cake ending with a peak in the middle.  Place one jaffa on top and sprinkle silver balls (think Christmas tree decorations) around the base. SIMPLE!