Little ducky cakes

To make buttercream, beat the butter until white as possible, gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar then milk, then remaining icing sugar. Beat until smooth. Tint with yellow food colouring.

Remove 3 cupcakes from wrappers and place in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of buttercream and mash with a fork until smooth and combined. You need to be able to roll this mixture into teardrop shapes for the ducks’ heads. If you need to add more buttercream, add 1 teaspoon at a time until you have the desired consistency.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of mixture into your hand and roll into a large teardrop shape. Place on a baking paper-lined tray. Repeat until you have 6. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm and set.

Using a small knife, cut a small hole, about 1cm from the front edge of each cupcake. Spread a little buttercream over the hole, insert a short bamboo skewer into the hole, then push the teardrop shaped ball, narrow side down, over the skewer and into the hole. Trim off any skewer that is sticking out of the top of the head.

Cover the head and body of duck cupcakes with buttercream, leaving the sides fluffy to represent feathers. Using a small spatula, spread neck, head and chest with buttercream. Choose a long potato crisp and press into the back of the cupcake on an angle to represent a tail. Cover the crisp with buttercream, leaving it fluffy to represent tail feathers.

Use orange M&Ms to represent eyes and red M&Ms to represent buttons. Surround the eyes with thin strips of licorice. Use yellow popcorn to represent down on the duck’s head and two potato crisps to represent the beak. Secure bows to the neck with a little extra buttercream.