Monkey & vine cupcakes for a Jungle Party

Makes 12
You will need:
• 125g soft margarine
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Ready-to-roll fondant icing (available at supermarkets)
• Food colouring - green, brown, and yellow

How to make:
1. Preheat over to 190°C. Place paper cupcake holders in a 12-hole muffin tray.
2. Cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and milk and beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder.  Add to wet mixture and stir until combined.
4. Spoon mixture into paper cases and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before decorating.
5. To decorate, knead fondant until soft. Separate into five balls. Poke a small hole into each ball, then drop food colouring into the hole as follows:
• For green fondant (cupcake tops), two drops green
• For light green fondant (vines), one drop green
• For brown (monkey heads), one drop brown
• For light yellow (monkey faces), one drop yellow
6. Knead each individual icing ball until the colour is distributed evenly.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll out icing balls to around 3mm thick. Cut out circular shapes for cupcake tops and monkey heads with round biscuit cutters. Use a knife to cut vines, monkey faces and ears.
8. Using a pastry brush, brush the backs of each fondant circle with a drop or two of water, then mould over the tops of cupcakes. Do the same for monkey and vine shapes.