Neon Graveyard Cupcakes

To make the electric sticks, add egg whites and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and use an hand mixer, on low speed, to combine.

Set one tbsp of the mixture aside into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

The mixture may be too stiff to pipe at this stage. If it is, add one teaspoon of water at a time and mix into the egg mixture until well combined and the mixture appears thinner. Not too thin though. You want it to fall in ribbons back into the bowl when you let some drizzle off your mixing spoon.

Split the rest of the mixture into 4 separate mixing bowls and colour using the colours in the ingredients list. Mix until well combined.

Transfer each coloured egg white mixture into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #4 small round piping tip and pipe long rods of each colour onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Allow them to set overnight. They will stiffen. Fun fact, this is how you can make your own sprinkles. To use the electric sticks, simply break into desired length rods.

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140°C (275°F) or a conventional oven to 160°C (320°F). Line two cupcake tins with black cupcake liners.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until well combined.

Next, add the softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.

Add the eggs, milk, oil, yoghurt and vanilla, and mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for a final 20 seconds. It’s at this point that you can add any flavourings or food-gel colourings to the batter.

Split the batter into four separate mixing bowls and colour each one using the food gels. Transfer into four separate piping bags and pipe thin squiggles of batter into your black cupcake liners until you’ve filled them up ¾ of the way.

Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

To prepare the frosting, add charcoal powder into the frosting and mix until well combined.

Fit the end of a piping bag with a large round tip and pipe a blob of black frosting on each cupcake. Roll it around in the black sugar until well coated. Take care not to mis-shape the frosting. You want to use the sugar to help you get a nice bulb shape.

To construct the electric chapel, first make your crosses. You’ll need 15 of them. So a long electric stick and then a shorter one. Use the white egg white mixture as glue to stick them together. Allow them to set for an hour before using.

I’m not gonna lie. Making these electric chapels is really time consuming. It’s basically all about starting at the bottom and making your way up. You want to stick long pieces of the electric sticks into the frosting in different directions, then use the white egg mixture to glue and build up, sticking the cross in the middle to finish.