Halloween Cupcakes! ༼ つ ╹ ╹ ༽つ

Hello again fellow bakers, Maid Mari here! I got an itch to create something spooky for Halloween... so I did!

These are chocolate cupcakes with spooky buttercream. Super yummy and very festive!

As you can see, there are zombies, skulls, Frankenstein's monsters, pumpkins, mummies, and ghosts. You get to choose which you want to decorate!

Cupcake ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (see note)

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (see note)

Buttercream ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• Splashes of whole milk, as needed

• Primary color food dyes (see note)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350∘.

2. Combine the melted butter with the granulated and brown sugars until just combined.

3. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.

4. Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder.

5. Add in 1/3 of the whole milk.

6. Add in 1 cup of flour.

7. When the flour is combined, add in 1/3 of the milk.

8. Add the 3/4 cup of flour, combine, then the rest of the milk.

9. Bake for 18 minutes if cupcakes, 30 if non-stick pan. Toothpick should come out of the center clean.

10. Let those cupcakes cool. They should be cool to the touch on all sides, or the frosting won't stick. While cooling, start preparing the buttercream.

11. Combine the softened butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. It should be a moderate thickness (see note).

12. Separate out one small piping bag of the white frosting and two bowls of frosting.

13. Begin piping skull shapes, ghost shapes, and mummy stripes onto cupcakes of your choosing.

14. In one bowl of frosting, add 15 drops of yellow and 15 drops of blue food coloring. This should make bright green.

15. In a different bowl of frosting, add 18 drops of yellow and 9 drops of red food coloring. This should make bright orange.

16. Frost the cupcakes of your choosing with four large orange stripes. (see note)

17. Add a stem a vining detail and the pumpkins are done!

18. Frost the cupcakes of your choosing all over with green.

19. Now, combine what's left of the green and add in some leftover orange and white until you achieve the desired color of zombie flesh.

20. Frost the cupcakes of your choosing all over with zombie flesh.

21. Take the zombie flesh color then add as much dye as needed until grey or black (see note).

22. Add the black frosting into a piping bag.

23. Pipe the small details onto the skull, ghost, mummy, zombie, and Frankenstein's monster using the black and white piping bag icing (see note).

Cupcake ingredients note

Dutch processed is better to use when you want darker colored cupcakes. This is more ideal for the mummy. I use Ghirardelli brand, as it has no weird additives that can change the batter's taste or consistency.

Feel free to use for than 1 tsp of vanilla extract. This is up to your preference.

Buttercream ingredients note

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are all you'll need.

Instructions notes

11- Moderate thickness means it can keep shape on its own, but not be so thick that it is hard to hand mix with a spatula.

21- I added a lot of dye here. It depended on the shade the frosting was. If its too purple, add yellow. Too green, add red. Too orange or warm, add blue.

23- I used eyeball sprinkles to make my life easier. Completely optional, but a bonus for us lazy folks.

Look! Reviews from some of your favorite maids!!

I hope you're enjoying my baking so far! Feel free to tune into my Instagram stories (@wan.wan.mari) to ask for specific recipes, or tell Head Maid Sae any recipes you want to see from me in the future!

Happy Halloween!!!

♥,

Marinette