Ready to wow your friends and family with amazing Halloween cupcakes? I'm excited to share 8 amazing and easy Halloween cupcakes that will upgrade any Halloween party and make you the star of the Halloween desserts!
¾cup (63g)cocoa powdernatural unsweetened or dutch processed cocoa powder
1tspinstant coffee granulessuch as Folger’s, optional
½tspbaking soda
1tspbaking powder
1tspsalt
½cup (113g)unsalted butter1 stick, room temperature
1 ½cups (297g)granulated sugar
2largeeggs
1cup (236ml)buttermilk
½cup (118ml)hot water
Frosting
1 ½cups (339g) unsalted butter 3 sticks, room temperature
1tspvanilla extract
2-3cups (227-339g)powdered sugar
dash milk or heavy cream if frosting becomes too thick
Spider Web Cupcakes
Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Black gel food coloring, Mini Oreos
Frankenstein Cupcakes
Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Green and black gel food coloring, Red jimmie sprinkles or red frosting, Black jimmie sprinkles, Pretzel sticks
Mummy Cupcakes
Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton tip
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Wilton 2 piping tip, Orange and green gel food coloring, Pretzel sticks
Eyeball Cupcakes
½ cup raspberry or strawberry seedless jam, Red gel food coloring, Water, Large candy eyeballs, Wilton 4 piping tip, Piping bag
Witch Hat Cupcakes
Piping bag, Black and green gel food coloring, Green nonpareil sprinkles, Wilton 1A Piping Tip, Wilton 32 Piping Tip
Spider Cupcakes
Brown jimmie sprinkles, Pretzels, Candy eye balls
Ghost Cupcakes
Large marshmallows, Canned white frosting, Candy eyeballs, Black writing icing
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
In a mixing bowl combine the all purpose flour, unsweetened natural cocoa powder, instant coffee granules, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (63g) cocoa powder, 1 tsp instant coffee granules, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt
In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add in the eggs, beat again for 30 seconds.
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups (297g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs
Add in half of the buttermilk, beat for about 20 seconds. Add in half of the dry ingredients, beat. Add the remaining buttermilk plus the hot water, beat just until the liquid is mixed in then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
1 cup (236ml) buttermilk, ½ cup (118ml) hot water
Fill the muffin liners 1/2 full. Bake for 17-19 minutes at 350º F or until a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick when inserted into the center. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.
FROSTING
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and vanilla extract, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
1 ½ cups (339g) unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until combined.
2-3 cups (227-339g) powdered sugar
If you want to add food coloring, do so now.
Taste as needed to determine if you want more powdered sugar. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a dash of milk or heavy cream.
dash milk or heavy cream if frosting becomes too thick
If you want an extra fluffy frosting, add in 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream when adding the last bit of powdered sugar. Whip for 3-4 minutes.
Spider Web Cupcakes
Remove 1 cup of frosting and dye that black. Spread a generous amount of white frosting onto each cupcake. Transfer the black frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 piping tip. Start by adding the spider web. Pipe a black line horizontally across the cupcake. Then add two diagonal lines, creating an X. Connect the lines with slightly curved lines, adding 2 per section, to make the web.Add a mini oreo to the spider web. Use a small amount of frosting to attach the candy eyeballs. Then pipe 4 legs onto each side of the oreo, for a total of 8 spider legs. Repeating with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Spider Web Cupcakes.
Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Black gel food coloring, Mini Oreos
Frankenstein Cupcakes
Remove ½ cup frosting and dye that frosting black. You can also use store bought black frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip. Dye the remaining frosting green.Spread a generous amount of green frosting on top of the cupcake. Use a paper towel to cover the bottom ⅔ of the cupcake, then sprinkle black jimmie sprinkles on, this is Frankenstein’s hair. Remove the paper towel.Add 2 candy eyeballs. Using the black frosting, draw a straight line above the eyes for eyebrows and draw a squiggly line for the mouth.Use the red sprinkles to add Frankenstein’s cut. Then break the pretzel stick into smaller pieces and place a piece on both sides of the cupcake for Frankenstein’s bolts. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Frankenstein Cupcakes.
Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Green and black gel food coloring, Red jimmie sprinkles or red frosting, Black jimmie sprinkles, Pretzel sticks
Mummy Cupcakes
Add a little bit of frosting to the backside of the candy eyeballs and stick them onto the cupcake.Fill a piping bag fit with a Wilton #47 tip with frosting. Hold the piping bag above a cupcake and gently squeeze to create thin strips of frosting that resemble mummy bandages. Zigzag the strips across the cupcake, going around the eyes, to create a mummy-wrap effect. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Mummy Cupcakes.
Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton tip
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Remove ¼ cup of frosting and dye that green. Transfer to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 2 tip. Set aside.Dye the remaining frosting orange. Spread a generous amount of frosting on top of each cupcake. Transfer the remaining orange frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip. Pipe a circle around the edge of the cupcake. Then pipe 4 curved lines, 2 right facing and 2 left facing.Add part of a pretzel stick to the top of the pumpkin for the stem. Use the green frosting to pipe curly green vines near the stem. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes.
Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Wilton 2 piping tip, Orange and green gel food coloring, Pretzel sticks
Eyeball Cupcakes
In a small bowl combine the jam and red food coloring. You can add 1 tsp of water if you want to thin it out.Spread a generous amount of frosting on top of the cupcake. Place 1 large candy eyeball in the center. Transfer the bloody jelly to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip or smaller. Pipe fake blood vessels coming from the eyeball. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Eyeball Cupcakes.
½ cup raspberry or strawberry seedless jam, Red gel food coloring, Water, Large candy eyeballs, Wilton 4 piping tip, Piping bag
Witch Hat Cupcakes
Divide the frosting into 2 bowls, dye one bowl green and the other black. Transfer the green frosting into a piping bag fit with a Wilton 32 tip. Transfer the black frosting into a piping bag fit with a Wilton 1A tip. Pipe a single layer of green frosting onto the cupcake. Sprinkle green ball sprinkles around the edges of the green frosting. Using the black frosting, start in the center of the cupcake and pipe a wide flat circle, this is the brim of the witch’s hat. Then pipe the remaining hat by applying pressure to the bag, gently lifting and lowering the bag to create the creases in the hat. As you get to the top of the hat, let off pressure and slowly allow the frosting to come to a peak. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Witch Hat Cupcakes.
Piping bag, Black and green gel food coloring, Green nonpareil sprinkles, Wilton 1A Piping Tip, Wilton 32 Piping Tip
Spider Cupcakes
Spread a dollop of chocolate frosting on each cupcake, smooth with a spatula. Dump the brown jimmie sprinkles in a bowl. Turn the cupcake upside down in the bowl and lightly press the frosting into the sprinkles to get them to stick. Break pretzels apart and press 4 legs into each side of the cupcake, adding 8 legs total. Use a small amount of frosting to attach the candy eye balls to the cupcake. For detailed instructions view Spider Cupcakes.
Brown jimmie sprinkles, Pretzels, Candy eye balls
Ghost Cupcakes
Fit a piping bag with a piping tip, I used a Wilton 1M. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a swirl pattern. Place a large marshmallow on top of the frosting.Transfer the canned frosting to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until the icing is runny. Spoon icing over the marshmallow, letting it fall and cover the whole marshmallow. Wait a few minutes for the icing to firm up, then press on candy eye balls. Use the black writing icing to add a mouth to each ghost. For detailed instructions view Ghost Cupcakes.
Large marshmallows, Canned white frosting, Candy eyeballs, Black writing icing