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Turn plain doughnut balls into mounds of smiling edible otters with just a few crafty chocolate moves.

As last year drew to a close, we saw a rise in a new cute kitchen craze in Japan that looked so easy we had to try it for ourselves.

▼ Japan’s in love with edible otters!

To make the cute character sweets, all you need is two things: a chocolate decorating pen and a bag of rin castella, round castella sponge cakes, which are popular in Japan and sold in ready-made packs.

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If you’re unable to get your hands on a pack of these sponge balls, they’re easy to make using a pre-made sponge-cake mix in a doughnut hole maker or using a tray designed for miniature muffins. Doughnut holes work just as well, and if one side is slightly darker than the other, this helps to create a realistic skin tone on which to draw the cute character face.

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Once you’ve warmed up the decorating stick in some hot water, it’s time to get started on making some otter faces!

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Using the photo below as a template makes it easy to get started. Practicing until you get a cute-looking face means you get to eat the treats as you go along!

Once you’ve made up a batch, you can see how the sugar coating adds to the sweet illusion, making the otters appear as if their coats are glistening with water.

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While you can enjoy the sweet creations on your own, these little critters make great presents for friends and family. You can pop them on short skewers and pack them in small gift bags or take them along to a dinner party in a Tupperware container. They’ll be sure to surprise all your animal-loving friends!

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Photos, video ©RocketNews24