1 quantity rich chocolate cupcakes (see rich chocolate cupcakes recipe)

250g butter, softened

3 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

5 x 200g packets round chocolate-coated biscuits (see note)

48 white choc melts

blue food colouring

24 white tic tacs

Method

 1. Make rich chocolate cupcakes: Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line two 12-hole, 1/3-cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.

2. Place butter, 1 1/2 cups cold water, chocolate and caster sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until melted. Stand for 10 minutes to cool.

3. Sift flours and cocoa into a large bowl. Gradually pour in cooled chocolate mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture is combined and smooth. Add egg and stir until combined.

4. Spoon mixture into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of 1 cake comes out clean. Stand in pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. Make icing: Using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add icing sugar and milk in batches, beating well between additions. Reserve 2 tablespoons frosting. Add cocoa powder to remaining frosting. Beat until combined. Spoon half the chocolate frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm fluted nozzle. Reserve remaining chocolate frosting.

6. Using a hot sharp knife, cut 24 biscuits in half crossways, trimming if necessary. Set aside for the ears.

7. Pipe a small dot of frosting on the back of 1 choc melt. Place on top of 1 whole chocolate biscuit and press to secure. Repeat with frosting, remaining melts and another 47 biscuits to form eyes.

8. Spread top of 1 cupcake with reserved chocolate frosting. Using the picture as a guide, position 2 biscuit halves on cupcake to form ears. If necessary, pipe more frosting under ears to support them. Position 2 biscuit eyes on cupcake. Tint reserved plain frosting blue. Spoon blue frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 3mm plain nozzle. Pipe a dot of blue frosting in the centre of each choc melt to form pupils. Pipe chocolate frosting between ears to form fluffy feathers. Position 1 tic tac below eyes to form a beak. Repeat with remaining cupcakes, frosting, biscuit halves, biscuit eyes and tic tacs. Serve.