Hello Kitty Cupcakes

I made this for a friend's birthday. I didn't make enough as I thought the cupcakes would only be another item on the dessert table.  I guess the cuteness of the cupcake is quite tempting, kids kept coming over to touch (and grab). Finally my friend distributed the cakes one per family. Should've baked more...oh well...

Anyway, the cake is chocolate, topped with not-so-sweet buttercream and kitty face fondant.  I used fancy paper cup instead of the standard cupcakes/muffin paper. The cup can stand on its own inside the oven, so you don't need to use the muffin tray. Though it's thicker than normal muffin paper, it's still easy to tear.  This is not the waxed version with thick rim around the top, that one is for nuts and jellies, me thinks...