Red Nose Day - Two Tone Icing & Twice The Fun!

I have a couple of weeks at home which meant I had plenty of free time to bake for this great cause.  Also this Sunday I run the Reading Half Marathon so surely an excuse to be able to eat a little bit extra - I will need to build up those energy stores (although not sure that cake is the way forward)!

So the plan is that friends and family will all donate in exchange for cake - they are all very easily bribed for food.......and any money raised will go to Red Nose Day, every little helps.....

The recipe I used was a basic vanilla sponge as used in previous posts (see red velvet cupcake recipe) and the frosting was a double batch of the normal recipe I also use;

500g icing sugar
160g insulated butter (room temperature)
50ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the sifted icing sugar with the butter until well mixed and then add in the vanilla extract & milk before turning the mixer up to a high speed for 7-8 minutes.

I think using two tone icing gives a great effect on these little cakes and it,s really easy to do - the trickiest bit is getting the two colours of icing into the bag.  Start with your disposable piping bag and a wide star nozzle and put the bag into a tall glass pulling the edges of the bag over the top of the glass freeing up your hands for the next part.  I had split the icing into two and coloured half of it red and then using a spatula put the red icing into one side of the bag pushing down towards the nozzle. Once you have put all the first colour in the bag then place the white colour into the other side - take the piping bag out the glass and then if there is a gap towards the nozzle with one colour gently push that side down using your hand.

Initially a single colour will only come through so either pipe into a bowl or use this as the centre stars on the middle of your cakes as this will be covered once you finish icing.  Finally, top off with a red m&m and enjoy sharing to raise some money for charity.