Description
Moist chocolate cupcakes topped with colorful buttercream and easy spooky designs—mummies, spiders, ghosts, pumpkins, and vampire bites.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup milk (or dairy-free alt.)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot coffee or hot water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (frosting)
2–3 tbsp heavy cream or milk
Pinch of salt (frosting)
Gel food coloring: orange, purple, green, black
1/2 cup strawberry jam (for vampire filling)
Candy eyeballs and Halloween sprinkles
Black licorice strings or pretzel sticks (spider legs)
Small piece green fondant or green frosting (pumpkin stems)
Mini chocolate chips or black sprinkles (ghost eyes)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with Halloween liners.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add dry mix to wet and stir just combined. Stir in hot coffee until batter is thin and smooth.
5. Divide batter among liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
6. Bake 18–22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool fully.
7. Make frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla.
8. Beat in cream 1 tbsp at a time until fluffy and spreadable, 2–3 minutes.
9. Divide frosting into bowls and tint orange, purple, green, and black as desired.
10. Vampire cupcakes: Core centers, fill with strawberry jam, frost, and add candy fangs or a bat topper.
11. Spider cupcakes: Frost black or chocolate; add candy eyes and 8 licorice or pretzel legs.
12. Mummy cupcakes: Pipe white bands across tops and press in two candy eyeballs.
13. Pumpkin cupcakes: Frost a smooth orange dome; add lines with a round tip and a green fondant stem.
14. Ghost cupcakes: Pipe a tall white swirl and add mini chocolate chip eyes.
15. Finish with sprinkles or edible glitter. Serve or store covered at room temp up to 2 days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes