Ingredients

• 125g butter, softened
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 165ml can coconut milk
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa
• 3 x 50g Toblerone bars
• 300g packet licorice allsorts (see notes)
• 6 pink mini marshmallows, halved
• 12 red candy heart lollies
• Black writing icing tube
• 24 Smarties (see notes)
• 15cm piece licorice strap

Buttercream

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups icing sugar mixture
• 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
• Black and orange gel food colouring
• 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa

Method

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Line a 12-hole, 1/3-cup-capacity muffin pan with paper cases.
• Step 2 Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs, milk and flour on high speed for 2 minutes or until pale and creamy. Divide mixture among prepared pan holes. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly touched. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Step 3 Meanwhile, make buttercream. Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar mixture, beating constantly until combined. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk. Reserve ¾ cup buttercream. Divide the remaining buttercream among 3 bowls. Using black food colouring, tint 1 portion dark grey. Using orange food colouring, tint another portion bright orange. Add cocoa and remaining milk to remaining portion. Stir well to create a dark brown colour, adding a little extra cocoa if needed.
• Step 4 Place 1/2 cup coconut in a snap-lock bag. Add a little black food colouring. Seal bag. Rub colour into coconut. Repeat with another ½ cup coconut and orange food colouring. Place remaining coconut in a bowl. Add cocoa and 1 teaspoon water. Stir until well combined.
• Step 5 Spread buttercream over cupcakes, icing 4 cupcakes with each colour. Using a knife, cut Toblerone into individual triangles. Cut 8 white, 8 yellow and 8 black squares from the allsorts. Discard offcuts. Cut each square into a 1.5cm x 2cm triangle. Using a little of the reserved plain icing, attach allsorts triangles to one side of each Toblerone piece.
• Step 6 Using picture as a guide, arrange 2 Toblerone pieces on cupcakes to form ears. Pinch and shape mini marshmallow halves to form noses. Place on cupcakes. Place 1 candy heart, pointed-end up, under nose to form a mouth. Using writing icing and picture as a guide, draw 2 lines, side-by-side, down centre of each Smartie to form pupils on eyes. Attach Smarties to cupcakes to form eyes. Spoon remaining plain buttercream into a snap-lock bag. Snip-off one corner. Pipe 2 small swirls of buttercream on either side of each mouth to form cheeks. Using picture as a guide, sprinkle orange cupcakes with orange coconut, grey cupcakes with grey coconut and brown cupcakes with brown coconut.
• Step 7 Cut licorice strap into 5 x 3cm lengths. Thinly slice each length, cutting ends on an angle. Cut each licorice piece in half lengthways to form thin whiskers (you will need 72 whiskers). Arrange whiskers on buttercream cheeks. Serve.