Halloween Cupcakes

Boo! Making fun holiday Halloween Cupcakes will bring smiles to all.  This easy chocolate cupcake recipe is a fantastic base for a fun and easy homemade cupcake.  Top with bright frosting, sprinkles, and even silly creepy glasses for a fantastic Halloween Cupcake.

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This post and recipe was created for #HalloweenTreatsWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

Halloween is the one recipe you can hide behind a mask and be silly.  Creepy, Spooky, Funny, or even a spoof on your favorite character, who do you love to dress up as?  It’s always fun to see what the kids will choose.  Personally, I enjoy the parties and the cheesy carnival games while celebrating with the family.

I’ve topped these silly cupcakes with a Halloween spooky glasses purchased at my local superstore in the costume section.  They were very inexpensive and I love how they turned out!  Silly, Creepy, and just fun with the bright colored frosting.

If you can’t find these glasses, don’t worry.  Add a spider ring, or a ghost or pumpkin treat.  Holiday sprinkles are also just as fun!

Shopping List

This recipe will use many standard ingredients that you have in your cupboard.  Additionally you will need flour, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and Dutch Process Cocoa too!

In this recipe I have used Dixie Crystals sugar.  I love love using Dixie Crystals products in my recipes.  The granulated sugar is fine and almost bursts in your mouth. It’s fantastic. 

How to make Halloween Cupcakes

This recipe was recently introduced to me by a fellow blogger and friend Lynn from Fresh April Flours and I love it.  It’s a small batch recipe, meaning it makes 12 cupcakes.  I’ve adapted the recipe for my tastes.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Gather all the ingredients and supplies you will need from mixing bowl to muffin tins and don’t forget muffin liners too.  The holiday liners are fantastic.  Having everything ready makes the process of mixing ingredients so simple.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients of flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Once combined create a well in the center to add wet ingredients.

Add eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and water to well and using a hand mixer on low speed combine ingredients.  Gradually increasing the speed of the mixture to high.  Mix batter until combined.

Fill greased muffin tin ½ to ¾ full or use muffin liners which is my preferred method.  And bake in a preheated 350F degree oven.

Allow cupcakes to cool before removing from pan to a cooling rack.  Pretty simple right?  This is a recipe that will be fun to make with the kids.  It’s easy enough they can do it with a little help as they navigate their way through the kitchen.

This recipe has been adapted from my Blogger Friend Fresh April Flours recipe for a simple chocolate cupcake

Halloween Frosting

I love this frosting. It’s creamy, delicious and really works well to pipe onto cupcakes or cookies.  I make 1 batch of frosting and then will split between 3 bowls to add color.  You can always just use one color if you prefer.

In a mixing bowl combine butter, powdered sugar and cream cheese.  Mix until smooth.  This will be very thick.  Add vanilla and heavy whipping cream.  Milk can also be substituted if needed.  Add milk one tablespoon at a time and then mix.  You do not want a thin or runny frosting. 

Divide frosting into 3 bowls and add food coloring.  I choose Purple, Green and Orange.  Mix with a spoon until fully combined.  Adding more food coloring as desired for bright and rich colors.

Place frosting into a piping bag with tip or use a zip-lock bag and snip the corner.  Start on the outside of the cupcake and in a swirling motion swirl to the center building upwards as you go creating height.

Decorate with Holiday sprinkles, Spider Ring, Pumpkin Candies or even mini candy bars.  I have used fun spooky glasses found in the costume section of the local super store for the holiday.

Dixie Crystals Sugar

I grew up being taught that Store Brands were less expensive and the same.  As I’ve spent more and more time in the kitchen I’ve found that quality products make big differences and using Dixie Crystals Sugar is a new favorite find.  This sugar is very fine and gives my recipes a burst of texture that I love.

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Can you Freeze Cupcakes?

I prefer to make cupcakes fresh and enjoy but the great news is these cupcakes also freeze fantastically.  You can freeze with or without frosting too. 

How to store Cupcakes?

Enjoy cupcakes fresh or within a few hours of making.  Store cupcakes in a covered container or cupcake holder.

How to measure Ingredients

Measuring ingredients is very important.  I prefer using a kitchen scale but when you don’t have a scale available let me help you and teach you a technique that comes close.  Give the flour a good stir, lifting the flour.  Then gently with a large spoon scoop flour into a measuring cup making sure to level off the top.  Packed flour will make recipes dry.

Check out all of these great #HalloweenTreatsWeek recipes for today

• Haunted Mansion Bloody Wedding Cake from Big Bear’s Wife
• Frankenstein Cupcakes from Semi Homemade Recipes
• Poison Apple Mocktail from Jen Around the World
• Graveyard Dirt Cream Puffs from Pint Sized Baker
• Halloween Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes from Fresh April Flours
• Halloween Cupcakes from Devour Dinner
• Halloween Ghost Cake from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pumpkin Macarons from The Redhead Baker
• Monster Burgers from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
• Poisoned Apple Hand Pies from Cookaholic Wife
• Halloween Nachos from Eat Move Make
• Homemade Butterbeer from House of Nash Eats
• Baked Pumpkin Donuts from The Flour Handprint
• Caramel Apple Sandwich Cookies from Sweet ReciPEAs
• Caramel Apple Cupcakes from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Hocus Pocus Spell Book Cupcakes from It’s Shanaka
• Halloween Cake Pops from Sweet Beginnings
• Deviled Egg Eyeballs from The Spiffy Cookie
• Poisoned Apple Macarons from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pizza Skulls from Lemon Blossoms
• Bloody Dirty Shirley Float from An Affair from the Heart
• Reese's Pieces Cookies from Back To My Southern Roots
• Oogie Boogie Dark Chocolate Brownies from Savory Moments
• Halloween Ghost Kabobs from Our Good Life

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5 from 3 votes

Halloween Cupcakes

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with bright colored frosting, sprinkles and creepy eyes for a spooky fun Halloween Cupcake

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients

• ½ Cup Granulated Sugar - 100g
• ½ Cup Brown Sugar - 100g
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 6 Tablespoons Dutch Process Cocoa
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 5 tablespoons water

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 Cup Butter - softened
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese - softened
• 3 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3-4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream - as needed
• Food Coloring - Purple, Green and Orange

Toppings

• Halloween Sprinkles - Optional
• Spider Rings - Optional
• Halloween Glasses - Optional

Instructions

Cupcake Directions

• In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients of Flour, Sugars, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Cocoa Powder. Mix together using a spoon and create a well in center
• Add eggs, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract to center well.
• Use a hand mixer to blend ingredients together until smooth
• Line muffin tin and fill each tin ½ to ¾ full. Batter will make 12 cupcakes.
• Bake at 350F Degrees for 13-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
• Allow cupcakes to full cool before frosting

Frosting Directions

• In a large bowl cream butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth.
• Add Vanilla Extract and Heavy Cream on tablespoon at a time as needed until desired consistency is reached.
• Separate frosting into 3 bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl and mix with spoon. Adding more food coloring will give a bolder stronger color
• Pipe frosting on the cupcakes in a circular motion starting from the outside and swirling upwards building a mountain of frosting.
• Top each cupcake with Halloween Sprinkles, Spider Rings, or silly spooky glasses found at super stores.

Notes

To Pipe frosting, use piping bags or snip off corner of Zip-loc bag and pipe in a swirl motion beginning from the outside of the cupcake and build upward towards center.

Toppings:  Add Halloween Sprinkles, Spider Rings, or silly spooky glasses found at superstores in the Halloween section.

Have you made this recipe?Mention @devourdinner or tag us #devourdinner! Please leave a comment and rating below. Thank you!

Nutrition Disclaimer

All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 313IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg