Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes
I enjoy cute and spooky for Halloween, and I love all the chocolate this time of year. These Halloween-themed cupcakes are a fun, easy treat that kids (and up to Grandma and Grandpa!) will enjoy. The recipe is easy and bakes the most delicious, moist cupcakes with a simple chocolate lovers buttercream frosting. The bake is so quick, you will find yourself with plenty of time to decorate and mull over which frosting piping tip to use and which candies to pile on top. For mine, I chose the adorable Halloween Motif Cupcake Toppers from Meri Meri (they make the cutest cupcake toppers and liners), some chocolate eyeballs, a simple swirl with a star-shaped frosting tip (Ateco #828), and finished with a dusting of green and purple sprinkles. These are absolutely my favorite chocolate cupcakes and chocolate buttercream frosting that you can bake year round. For a Halloween party, they will be a monster hit!
Recipe adapted from Trophy Cupcakes & Parties. Jennifer Shea.
Sasquatch Books. 2013. Recipe makes 24 cupcakes.
Kitchen tools
Two 12-cup muffin pans
Cupcake liners
Heat-safe Spatula or wooden spoon
KitchenAid® Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
Fine-mesh sifter or sieve
Double-boiler or heat-safe bowl over a saucepan (to temper the chocolate)
Optional:
compostable parchment paper
Instructions for cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and line muffin pans. Have some fun with Halloween-themed liners in bright patterns or stripes. The recipe will bake 24 cupcakes with batter up to 28 cupcakes if using standard size muffin pans.
Sift the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Sifting your ingredients is worth the extra step to produce light, fluffy cupcakes.
Combine the wet ingredients in the stand mixer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. I crack one egg at a time into a small, separate bowl before pouring the egg into the mixture. This allows a quick check for any discoloration or shell in the egg.
Add the sugar and dry ingredients. At low speed, blend in the sugar and add in the separate bowl of dry ingredients. I like to mix in the sugar, then add the dry ingredients 1/3 amount at a time to fully incorporate into the batter. When everything has been added, increase the speed to medium and mix for 1-2 minutes until the batter is completely smooth. You don’t want to overmix the flour, so stop mixing when the batter is smooth.
Remove from the stand mixer and add boiling water. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and carefully pour in the boiling water. Stir slowly and gently with a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula. Stir until the batter is smooth again (it will be thin).
Let the batter rest 15 minutes. Set a timer and let the batter rest for 15 minutes. I know it sounds like an extra step, but the result will be fluffy, moist, ‘cake’-like cupcakes.
Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. After the batter has rested, give the batter a gentle stir for one final mix before pouring into the cupcake liners. I like to use an ice cream or cookie scoop so it’s one quick drop into the liners at approximately 75% full. The cupcakes will rise and you want to avoid burnt tops, so leave that extra room inside the liner.
Bake the cupcakes and set aside to cool. Bake at 350-degrees about 20 minutes. I like to check them between 12 - 15 minutes (without opening the oven if possible), to see if the tops have risen. If the tops have risen, the tops of the cupcakes should be firm (not wet) and a toothpick or tester inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few crumbs. When done baking, set the cupcakes aside for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Instructions for buttercream frosting
Melt the chocolate. I fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and turn the heat on low. I add the chocolate to a glass heat-safe bowl which is set over the saucepan and stir the chocolate to melt it. Make certain the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the hot water. This method will melt the chocolate to a perfect silky smooth, shiny finish. If the chocolate is broken into small and medium-size pieces, it won’t take long. If you prefer, you can also microwave the chocolate pieces in 5-second increments, stirring between. Once all the chocolate is melted, set the bowl aside to let the chocolate cool (you want to wait until it is slightly warm).
Cream the butter in the stand mixer. Fit with the paddle attachment and add your butter to the stand mixer. If the butter is at room temperature, it will be soft and cream easily. Start with the mixer at the lowest speed, and gradually increase the speed. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Mix at high speed until the butter turns light in color and is smooth and creamy. I know it’s the right consistency by the look and when I hear a slapping sound as it mixes on high speed.
Remove 1/3 of the butter to add to the melted chocolate. Add about 1/3 of the creamed butter to the bowl of melted chocolate. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to mix well. Set aside.
Add the confectioners’ sugar to the stand mixer. Starting with one cup at a time, add the confectioners’ sugar to the butter in the stand mixer and mix on lowest speed. Wait until the sugar is fully incorporated before adding the next cup. When all the sugar has been mixed in, give a final scrape of the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Add the chocolate, vanilla, and salt to the stand mixer. Pour in the chocolate mixture, vanilla, and add the salt. Beat at low speed for 15-20 seconds to initially mix. Then increase the speed and whip the buttercream on high speed until it is perfectly smooth, creamy, light and peaks appear. There isn’t risk of over-mixing, so continue whipping until it looks like light, buttercream frosting, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. This can take up to 5-6 minutes of continuous mixing.
Fill piping bag to frost cupcakes. Once your buttercream is ready, use right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days, and when you are ready to use it, just whip the buttercream again in the stand mixer. Make certain your cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them or the buttercream will melt. For my chocolate Halloween cupcakes, I used a star tip (Ateco #828) and piped a simple swirl.
Decorate and enjoy. Add fun candies, chocolates, or other edible treats to the tops of your cupcakes. There are so many ways to celebrate the theme: gummy worms, chocolate eyeballs like what I used… a single peanut butter cup, candy spider, or marshmallow ghosts. Happy Halloween!
Listen along to my playlist
I believe food tastes better when prepared with love! I always put music on before I begin in the kitchen. Here are some songs that I baked (and danced) to while making this recipe.
Haunted Heart - Christina Aguilera
Howlin' for You - The Black Keys
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
Ghost - Justin Bieber
Ingredients I baked with
My favorite part of baking is to see someone smile after their first bite. People always comment on how full of flavor the food is. I truly believe the secret is using fresh, natural ingredients. Here are some of my favorite items and what I used in this recipe.
