Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
2 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoon eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

For the decoration

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
2 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoon eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup store-bought chocolate flavor frosting (such as betty crocker or duncan hines)
120 cup chocolate pocky stick cookies (from 4 or 5 x 2.8-ounce boxes, such as lu or glico)
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Preparation

Baking Directions:

First make the cupcakes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a muffin pan with 10 paper muffin cups.

In an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Whisk the flour and cocoa powder together in a bowl.

Add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture a little at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with the second egg to stop it curdling.

Fold in the orange zest and the remaining flour then stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill each paper muffin cup 2/3 full with cake batter.

Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 22 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.

When cool, spread a little chocolate buttercream over each of the cupcakes, put some chocolate sprinkles into a bowl and dip the cupcakes upside down into the sprinkles so that they stick to the buttercream.

To make the legs, take the Pocky sticks and cut off the piece not covered with chocolate.

Cut a quarter of the sticks in half.

Melt the chocolate.

Dip one end of each of the long and the short Pocky sticks into the chocolate and arrange them on trays or baking sheets lined with greaseproof or baking paper so that they attach at an angle of about 100 degrees and allow the chocolate to set.

The melted chocolate will harden as it cools, keeping the legs stuck together.

Push one end of the short Pocky stick leg into the body of the spider and then repeat until you get four legs on either side.

Finish off with Licorice Allsort eyes.