Cupcake Cake "School of Fish"

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 220 g of butter at room temperature + extra for greasing the pans
• 2 and 2/3 cups premium wheat flour + extra for dusting the pans
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk

Butter cream

• 330 g butter, room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• A pinch of fine salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• Blue food coloring for icing

Decor

• 1/3 cup (45 grams each) of M&M's candies in six colors: light blue, blue, light green, green, pink, lilac, purple, or sea green
• 12 decorative sugar eyes
• 24 small red cinnamon candies, such as Red Hots
• 7 large white gumdrops (dome-shaped)
• 1 black or brown M&M candy
• 1 large red gumdrop (dome-shaped)

Preparation:

1. Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with blue paper cupcake liners. Grease and flour a 20cm round cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle cut from parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
3. Beat in flour in 3 additions on low speed, alternating with 2 additions of milk, then increase speed to medium-high and mix until combined.
4. Pour half the batter into the cake pan, and divide the remaining batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake until the cake is springy on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes for cupcakes and 30-35 minutes for the cake pan. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Butter cream: In a bowl, beat the butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a spreadable icing. Add 1 drop of food coloring to create a light blue icing.
6. Cover the cupcakes with about half the buttercream. Cut the top of the large cake layer in half. Cut a V-shape in the center of the flat side of one half to create a fishtail. Cover both halves of the cake layer with buttercream.
7. Decoration: Arrange M&Ms on one half of each cupcake to create the fish scales (you'll have enough M&Ms to make two cupcakes of each color, with extra for the tail). Add eyes to each fish, and use two cinnamon drops to create a mouth on the side opposite the scales. Cut six white jelly beans in half at the top, then cut the halves in half at the sides to create semicircular fins. Insert the fins into the top and bottom of each cupcake.
8. Glue a white jelly bean to the top of the large fish's head to create the eye. Place a black M&M on top, lightly brushing it with frosting to help it stick.
9. Cut a red gummy bear in half at the top. Then cut one half in half along the side to create two semicircles, and glue the fish's mouth onto the rounded side of the cake. Place the head on the tray on the left side. Arrange cupcakes behind the head to form the fish's body. Finally, attach the fish's tail. Line the tail with the remaining M&M's in stripes of different colors to create scales.