Today marks my 4th blogiversary. How time flies!

I actually made these Dalek cupcakes on Christmas day, to eat while we watched the Doctor Who Christmas special, but needed a good excuse to post something so fangirly! So, without further ado… because who needs ado when you have Daleks?

Materials

For 12 Daleks:
18 toothpicks cut in halves
Silver sugar balls… what the Doctor described as “edible ball bearings”
12 cupcake liners or a 12 hole muffin tin
Small square or rectangular cake pan – mine was 16 x 25cm (6 x 10″)
12 hole cakepop pan
4 – 5cm (1 1/2 – 2″) round cookie cutter
Optional 12 small foil pie plates, flattened, for stands

Devil’s food cake for bases, middle sections and heads

Adapted from Martha

You’ll be making:
12 cupcakes
12 hemispheres (using a cakepop pan)
12 discs cut from a small sheet cake

65g (3/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
180ml (3/4 cup) hot water
375g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fine salt
340g (1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks) unsalted butter
450g (2 1/4 cups) sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
200g (scant cup) sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). On two baking trays, set out 12 paper liners, 12 half cakepop molds, and grease a small cake pan and line the base with parchment.

In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among liners and cakepop molds, filling each three-quarters full, and pour the remaining bater into the small cake pan. Bake, rotating trays and swapping shelves after 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centre of one of the cupcakes comes out clean, 25 – 30 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Trim any uneven surfaces and use a 4 – 5cm (1 1/2 – 2″) round cookie cutter to cut 12 pieces from the square/rectangular cake.

“Glue” for joining pieces together

65g (1/2 cup unsifted) confectioner’s (icing or powdered) sugar
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 – 3 tsp milk

Mix together the sugar and cocoa, then add milk by dashes until you get a thick, spreadable consistency.

Use a smear on the underside of the middle sections to glue them to the bases, then do the same with the heads.

Chocolate buttercream frosting

Adapted from addapinch

115g (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, room temperature
30g (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
200g (1 2/3 cups unsifted) confectioner’s (icing or powdered) sugar
45ml (3 Tbsp) milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift cocoa into a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer.

Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well combined.

Alternately add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture – 1 cup of sugar followed by a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer up to high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.

Add vanilla extract and combine well.

Add additional milk or sugar as required until you get a good spreading consistency.

Use a small spatula (like one for working with fondant) to spread a layer of frosting all over your Daleks.

Take a tablespoon of the frosting and add enough additional powdered sugar to make a fondant consistency, then roll little balls for the eye stalk and right arm. Leave the left arm as is. Decorate with edible ball bearings.