Spider Man Chocolate Cup Cakes

A special request from my little one to treat his school mates on his 4th birthday.  Recipe makes 24 cup cakes, and can be made a day ahead.  Will keep well for about 3 days.

125g Softened Butter
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup Self Raising Flour
1 1/2 cup Castor Sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp Tia Maria
1 short espresso
3/4 cup Milk

350g Icing Sugar
1 egg white
Juice of Half Lemon
Red and Blue Food Colour
75g Plain Chocolate

In a food mixer with K beater attached add butter, eggs, espresso, milk and Tia Maria, then sift in flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on high speed for 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and even.  Arrange cup cake cases in muffin trays and  fill with cake mixture.  Do not fill right to the top, leave some space to rise.  Bake in 180c oven for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through.  Take out from oven and leave to cool on wire rack.

Beat egg white till soft peaks form, then add sifted icing sugar and lemon juice and beat for 5 minutes till sugar dissolves.  Divide the mixture in two batches and colour with one with blue and the other with  red food colour.

Melt the chocolate over baine Marie or 45sec high  set in Microwave.  Put icing mixtures in separate piping bags, fitted with small star nozzle.  Put melted chocolate in a corner of a small plastic bag, then make a small hole at the tip.

Pipe icing over cakes to cover completely, then pipe circles with chocolate and using a tooth pick, press lines from inside to outside to make the web design.