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Orange buttercream is piped in bands from the bottom to the top of a cupcake on the white marble cooktop. A green stem and black face are added for a pumpkin design.

Halloween Cupcakes Recipe

These Halloween-themed cupcakes are as spooky as they are sweet, each decorated as a mummy, spider, pumpkin, Frankenstein, or skull for a deliciously haunting treat!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 150 kcal

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with paddle attachment
  • Cupcake pan and cupcake papers
  • Mixing bowls
  • Sifter
  • Whisk
  • Piping bags and round tips (47 flat tip optional)
  • Toothpicks or point tool
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients
  

For the Cupcakes:

  • 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

For the Buttercream:

  • 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

For the Assembly:

  • brown m&ms regular and peanut
  • 3/4 cup melted chocolate

Instructions
 

  • Make the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), line a cupcake pan, and sift all dry ingredients in a mixer bowl. Whisk wet ingredients separately, combine with dry ingredients, and mix on medium for 2 minutes. Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
    A glass bowl on the white marble cooktop holds sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, hot coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla being whisked together. The mixture is ready to be poured into the mixer bowl with the dry ingredients.
  • Prepare Buttercream: In a stand mixer, whip butter until smooth, then gradually add confectioner’s sugar. Add cream, vanilla, and whip until fluffy. Divide and color buttercream with green, orange, and black food colorings.
    The black cupcake pan on the white marble cooktop is filled with freshly baked cupcakes. A toothpick is inserted into one of the cupcakes, coming out clean to show they’re perfectly baked.
  • Pipe Mummy: Pipe a black base, then add thin white buttercream lines for bandages. Attach candy eyes.
    A black buttercream base is being piped onto a cooled cupcake on the white marble cooktop. Thin white buttercream lines are added for mummy bandages, with candy eyes placed on top
  • Make Spider: Pipe ‘L’ shaped legs with black chocolate on parchment and freeze for 5 minutes. Pipe a white base, swirl black for a web, and add brown M&M’s as body and head, then attach legs.
    A cupcake with a white buttercream base is piped on the white marble cooktop. A black swirl creates a spiderweb design, with brown M&M’s added for the spider’s body and head. Frozen chocolate legs are carefully attached.
  • Decorate Pumpkin: Pipe orange bands from bottom to top. Add a green stem and black face.
    Orange buttercream is piped in bands from the bottom to the top of a cupcake on the white marble cooktop. A green stem and black face are added for a pumpkin design.
  • Create Frankenstein: Pipe a green base, place candy eyes, and add black details for face.
  • Design Skull: Pipe a white base, then add black facial details for a spooky skull.