Spooky Vegan Oreo Bat Delights

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 240ml dairy-free milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 210g self-raising flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 100g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 60ml sunflower oil

Bat-Themed Buttercream Ingredients:

• 210g dairy-free block butter
• 200g icing sugar
• 20ml aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
• 4 Oreos, crushed to crumbs

Spooky Oreo Bat Decor Ingredients:

• 100g dairy-free dark chocolate
• Vegan white chocolate buttons (like Sainsbury’s Free From White Chocolate Buttons)
• 1 pack Oreo cookies

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan setting) and arrange cupcake liners in your muffin tins.
2. Whisk together dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl.
3. In a separate large bowl, sift and combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.
4. Mix the sunflower oil into the milk mixture.
5. Gradually blend the wet ingredients with the dry ones until you achieve a smooth batter.
6. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full with the batter, and gently tap the tray to release air bubbles.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean from the center of a cupcake.
8. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack.

Bat-Themed Buttercream:

1. Whip the dairy-free butter in a large bowl until it’s creamy.
2. Gradually sift in the icing sugar and continue to mix.
3. Add the aquafaba and whip for about 5-8 minutes until the mixture becomes fluffy and light.
4. Gently fold in the crushed Oreos.

Spooky Oreo Bat Decor:

1. Melt the dark chocolate using a bain-marie method.
2. For the bat wings: Slice some Oreos in half.
3. Attach the wings to another Oreo half using a dab of melted chocolate. Allow to set.
4. Drizzle some chocolate over the top of the Oreo bat assembly and place it on parchment paper.
5. Freeze momentarily to solidify.
6. Once set, attach two white chocolate buttons as eyes and a dot of dark chocolate in the center of each button.

Final Assembly:

1. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the bat-themed buttercream on top.
2. Sprinkle additional crushed Oreos if desired.
3. Crown each cupcake with a spooky Oreo bat.
4. Serve and let the spooky delights delight your taste buds!