Description
Create spooky and delicious Creepy Halloween Spider Cupcakes featuring rich chocolate pumpkin cupcakes topped with intense black buttercream and decorated with fondant spiders. Perfect for Halloween parties, these cupcakes combine moist texture with eye-catching creepy spider decorations.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 180 g self-raising flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 100 g salted butter
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 200 g pumpkin puree
- 100 ml milk
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 450 g powdered sugar
- 225 g salted butter
- 2 tablespoon black cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Black food coloring
Decoration
- 175 g white fondant
- Tiny green sprinkles (for the spiders’ eyes)
Instructions
- Bake the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a cupcake pan with muffin liners. In a mixing bowl, whisk together self-raising flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and salt, then sift and set aside. In another bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping the sides halfway. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined, even if curdled. Gradually fold half of the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture without overmixing. Add milk and fold again, then fold in the remaining flour mixture. Mix in the vanilla extract thoroughly. Scoop the batter into liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes rest in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, covering with a kitchen towel to retain moisture.
- Make the black buttercream frosting: Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Sift in powdered sugar and black cocoa powder, mix lightly with a spatula, then use a mixer on medium speed until fully combined and creamy. Scrape the bowl and beaters well to incorporate all ingredients. Add vanilla extract and beat again. Allow the buttercream to rest for 10-20 minutes to deepen in color. If the color is not dark enough, add a few drops of black food coloring or a combination of red, green, and brown gel colors, mix well, and rest for an additional 10-15 minutes. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (#1M) and a small round tip (#3) in separate piping bags for decorating.
- Decorate the cupcakes: Using the star tip, pipe rows of reverse stars in a circle on top of each cupcake. Knead the white fondant well until smooth, roll it to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut out small circles about 2 inches in diameter. Place one fondant circle in the center of each cupcake atop the buttercream. Switch the piping bag to the round tip to pipe spider decorations: pipe a small circle for the spider’s body, a smaller circle in front for the head, then pipe four legs on each side. Use tweezers to attach two tiny green sprinkles as the spider’s eyes. Keep finished cupcakes in an air-conditioned room to prevent fondant sogginess and avoid refrigerating to prevent condensation.
Notes
- Scraping the bowl ensures all ingredients are thoroughly mixed without any unmixed portions.
- Using a cookie or ice cream scoop helps maintain even cupcake sizes.
- Cupcake liners used measure approx. 5 cm bottom diameter and 3.5 cm height; adjust baking time for different sizes.
- Cover cupcakes with a kitchen towel while cooling to retain moisture and avoid drying out.
- Mixing powdered sugar and cocoa with a spatula before beating prevents sugar from flying out when mixing.
- Gel-based food coloring is recommended for vibrant color without affecting frosting texture. A mix of red, green, and brown food coloring can substitute black food coloring.
- Use two piping bags if buttercream quantity exceeds single bag capacity; swap bags as needed during decorating.
- Knead fondant smoothly and dust workspace with icing sugar or cornstarch to prevent sticking before rolling.
- Fondant circles’ size can vary to match cupcake size for best appearance.
- Keep cupcakes at room temperature, not refrigerated, to maintain fondant quality and avoid condensation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
