Victoria Threader's ladybird cupcakes

ingredients:

• 12 cupcakes (use our basic cupcakes recipe)
• 1 lb 2 oz of black icing for the cupcakes and dots
• 1 3/4 oz of black icing for the eyes
• 1 lb 2 oz of red icing for the wings
• Uncooked vermicelli noodles for the antennae
• 1 3/4 oz of white icing for the eyes
• Cornflour
• 9 oz of ganache (3 lb of white chocolate and 450ml of cream)

Method

1. To make the ganache: Add the cream to a pan and bring to the boil. Then add in your chopped white chocolate and whisk together until smooth. Leave to cool and set overnight and then spread on top of your cupcakes with a palette knife. Leave to set for one hour. Then hot knife for a smooth finish
2. To cover the cakes: Knead the black icing to a pliable dough and roll out to 3mm thick. Use the cornflour on your work tops to stop the icing sticking. Using the circle cutter the same size as the cupcake, cut out 12 circles and stick them onto the cup cake.
3. For the wings: Set aside a small amount of red icing for the antennae, then roll out the rest until 3mm thick. Cut out discs using a round cutter the same size as the cupcake. Use the same cutter to cut out one-quarter of the discs. Cut the remaining portion of the icing disc in half. Stick the two wing cases on the cupcake with a little brush of water (I use a small paint brush), moving them slightly apart.
4. For the dots: Knead the remaining black icing and roll into baby pea-sized balls. Flatten the balls between your fingers and stick them on the wing cases.
5. For the antennae: Roll two tiny balls of red icing and stick the on top of two short sticks of vermicelli. Poke the vermicelli onto the cupcakes just behind where the eyes will be.
6. For the face: With a frilling tool indent two holes for the eyes. Use a drinking straw cut in half to mark the mouth. Roll out tiny balls of white icing and stick them into the indents. Using a tiny amount of black icing, roll out even smaller balls and stick them on the top of the white balls to finish the eyes.
7. Now your cakes are ready to serve.