SPIDER NEST CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line muffin tins with 15 muffin cases (bake a second batch of the extra 3 if you only have one 12-hole tin). Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, flour, vanilla and milk in that order. Quickly stir in the hundreds & thousands with as little effort as you can, then divide the mixture between the cases - the more you work the batter, the more the sprinkles will bleed their colour, so it's best to do this quickly and efficiently. Bake for 20 mins until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Leave to cool.
• Peel off the paper cases, and turn the cakes upside down. Cover with cling film until it's nearly party time.
• Just before the party, mix a splash of water into some sifted icing sugar, and add a good blob to the top of each cake. Tease off some candy floss and stick a little pile on each - the less you handle it, the less it will disintegrate. Add a toy spider to each, or make your own - stick 4 long liquorice lace strands to the back of giant chocolate buttons with some more runny icing, flip over and leave to set.