When you’re throwing a big party for Halloween, there’s a lot of prep involved. Not only do you have to decorate your party area, you have to come up with a variety of food, drinks, and munchies to keep your guests happy.
This past month I’ve been talking about different Halloween treats you can whip up if you’re having a Halloween party or just need snacks to feed a few ghosts and goblins on All Hallows Eve. From sugar cookies to some ,’ there are so many different things you can serve. But the one treat I absolutely rely on when it comes to the snack table? Cupcakes!
A cupcake is the ultimate creativity project when bakers are concerned because you can turn them into almost anything. All you need is one good cupcake recipe, some elbow grease, and a vivid imagination.
Let’s start with the recipe – you’ll need a cupcake pan like my favourite, the Wilton Excelle Elite Muffin Pan.
The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake
From Cupcakeproject.com
This recipe is SO good it will be your go-to cupcake recipe for absolutely every type of cupcake you bake.
Yield: 16 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
- 2 ounces of your favorite chocolate. You can use any plain chocolate that you like except white chocolate or candy melts. The chocolate doesn’t have to be one typically earmarked for baking.
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 fluid ounces) vegetable or canola oil, measured in a liquid measuring cup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (2 3/4 ounce) full-fat sour cream
- 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) cocoa powder (natural or dutched will both work with this recipe)
- 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) room temperature water, measured in a liquid measuring cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fully combined. The end result should look like wet sand.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.
- Once the melted chocolate is cool enough to touch, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
- Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a separate medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well after sifting.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
- Mix in water until just combined.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in the oven.
- Check for doneness at 18 minutes – a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. If they are not done, check again every three minutes until they are done.
- Immediately remove cupcakes from the cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack or on the counter to cool to room temperature. Although they are really good when they are hot, be sure to wait until they are room temperature to give your evaluation.
If you would like to add coffee to the recipe, either add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules along with the sifted dry ingredients, or replace the water with room temperature brewed coffee.
Once your cupcakes are finished, let them cool on wire racks or refrigerate until you’re ready to decorate. Be sure to pick up a decorating kit like the Wilton 53 pieces Supreme Decorating Set.
Witches Hat Cupcakes
It’s easy to create cute witch hat cupcakes. Icing your cupcakes with green icing. Take a chocolate ice cream cone and place it on top of each cupcake. Pipe with green icing to create the ‘hat’ and add decorative touches with orange icing.
Witches Feet Cupcakes
While we’re talking witches, here is a cute cupcake that reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. Place white icing on each cupcake and sprinkle with green coconut. To make green coconut, you need to add green food colour to a bowl of shredded coconut and let it dry for ½ hour.
Take two stick candy canes for each cupcake. Create ‘boots’ from Tootsie Rolls and add a buckle with yellow icing.
Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes
Use a white icing for each cupcake. Place one green Lifesaver in the middle of each cupcake and use red piping to create ‘bloodshot’ eyes.
Where’s my Mummy Cupcakes
These cute cupcakes let you get creative with your Wilton icing tips. Use a flat tip and create strips of icing across your cupcake, making it look as though bandages are wrapping them. Add red eyes with gel icing and create a pupil with black icing.
Mini-pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkins are a Halloween staple, and it’s really easy to whip up a batch of mini-pumpkins. Use orange icing for each cupcake and sprinkle with orange sugar. Using a knife, create pumpkin lines on the top of each and add a green candy for the stump.
Halloween is one of those times when baking and decorating is just part of the fun. So grab your imagination and your sprinkles, then get busy creating!
Do you have a favourite Halloween cupcake?
