Halloween Cupcakes
Perfectly spooky chocolate Halloween cupcakes decorated in five easy designs.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 24 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g)
- 1 cup buttermilk (240mL)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup hot coffee (360mL strong, use a mocha pot so it's basically espresso)
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (180mL)
- 1 tbs vanilla extract (15mL)
- 3 cup all-purpose flour (360g)
- 2 2/3 cup granulated sugar (535g)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (65g)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (6g)
- 1 tbsp baking soda (18g)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (5g)
- 3 tsp vanilla (15mL)
- 1 lb confectioner's sugar (450g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (250g)
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream (45mL)
- Green food coloring
- Orange food coloring
- black gel food coloring
- brown m&ms (regular and peanut)
- 3/4 cup melted chocolate
Instructions
- 1
For the Cupcakes:
- 2
Preheat to 350 degrees.
- 3
Add papers to a cupcake pan.
- 4
Sift together the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk until combined.
- 5
In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and whisk together.
- 6
Add wet to dry ingredients in the stand mixer bowl.
- 7
Whisk to combine, then mix on level 2 for two minutes.
- 8
Distribute batter into cupcake papers. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 9
Allow time to cool fully.
- 10
For the Buttercream:
- 11
Whip the butter for about 5 minutes using a paddle attachment on the stand mixer.
- 12
Beat in the confectioner’s sugar slowly.
- 13
Add cream and vanilla. Beat until you have an even, fluffy consistency.
- 14
For the Piping Bags:
- 15
Prepare 3 piping bags fitted with large round tips. Add green, orange and white to separate bags. These will be used as the base colors.
- 16
Add black food gel to melted chocolate, transfer to a piping bag. Snip off the tip. This will be used for the base of the mummy and facial details for multiple cupcakes.
- 17
For the Mummy:
- 18
Pipe a black base.
- 19
Fit a piping bag with a 47 flat tip, add a small amount of white buttercream.
- 20
Pipe lines to create a bandage look.
- 21
Add candy eyes.
- 22
For the Spider:
- 23
Pipe ‘L’ shaped legs onto parchment paper with the black gel bag. Transfer to the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes to set.
- 24
Pipe a white base. Switch back to the black. Pipe a spiral.
- 25
Drag a point tool or toothpick through the buttercream and chocolate layers, working from the inside out. This will create the web look.
- 26
Add a brown peanut m&m for the body and a regular brown m&m for the head. Add chocolate legs.
- 27
For the Pumpkin:
- 28
Pipe bands of orange, working from bottom to top to create a pumpkin look.
- 29
Add a green stem on top of the pumpkin.
- 30
Pipe black jack o lantern facial details.
- 31
For Frankenstein:
- 32
Pipe a green base.
- 33
Place candy eyes.
- 34
Add black facial details.
- 35
For the Skull:
- 36
Pipe a white base, then facial details with black frosting.