Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween cupcakes, dotted with candy corn or plastic “bat” pick, were relegated to the world of school children parties.

Now, we see dozens of designs and ideas that could cast a spell on adults as well as children. Luckily, this particular time of year has a number of time honored themes to pick from. If you want something spooky, ghosts come to mind with wispy white tails. And who could forget the proverbial black cat with gleaming yellow eyes and fierce fangs. On the fun side, pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns can inspire you with their funny expressions. Colors for Halloween—brown, orange, purple or black—can provide you with a few more ideas as well. These pages focused on a little bit of everything to help you create the most attractive cupcakes possible.

Spider Web Halloween Cupcakes

The delicate chocolate candy strings of these Halloween spider web cupcakes will make any Halloween occasion special. Handling the melted chocolate might be tricky at first, but the microwave makes working with the candy a snap.

Bakery/Cake Goods needed:

• Your favorite batch of chocolate cupcakes
• Your favorite butter cream frosting tinted Orange (we used Wilton’s paste icing color in Orange)

Spider Web Decorating Supplies:

• 12-oz bag of chocolate chips OR bag of Wilton’s chocolate candy melts
• Icing Bags OR zip lock food storage bags
• Scissors
• Wax Paper
• Spider Web template (you can freehand the design or use our template)

Cupcake Icing Tools

• Wilton 1M Star Icing Tip
• Icing Bag

Finishing Touches

• Brown Cupcake Liners OR Halloween themed cupcake wrapper

Directions for making the spider webs:

Step 1: Fill icing bag half full with chocolate chips or candy melts. Microwave for 30 seconds. Check bag consistency. Make sure the candy warm, but not too hot to handle and lumps are gone. If the candy is not the right consistency, microwave again in short 20 to 30 second increments until candy is ready.

Step 2: Snip the end off the icing bag or plastic bag and pipe out a spider web design. You can pipe something freehand using a swirl with lines crossing over the top or you can use a template. (Download our free spider web template here.) Tape the template to the table, and place wax paper over the top. Trace the lines with the melted candy. Let candy cool and dry completely.

Directions for Icing the Cupcake:

Step 1: Fill the icing bag with orange butter cream and fit the opening with a 1M tip. Using a circular motion, squeeze out icing to cover the top of the cupcakes.

Step 2: Place a spider web on top of the cupcake.

Directions Finishing Touches:

If you’ve already baked your cupcake in a brown liner, you are set to go. You can also embellish your cupcake with a fun Halloween themed cupcake wrapper you purchased or made yourself.

Stenciled Halloween Cupcakes

One of the simplest ways to decorate a cupcake is using stencils. It may not seem very sophisticated, but even well-known creative designers like Martha Stewart have used this idea. Below are a few ways you can use stencils to decorate your Halloween Cupcakes for the best results:

Unfrosted Cupcakes and Powdered Sugar

This is the easiest method to stencil. Chocolate cupcakes work best (you can use brownies or gingerbread as well). Place your stencil over the cake and sift powdered sugar over the design. You can also use very fine sanding sugar. If you have a hard time locating that ingredient, the powdered sugar works fine.

Frosted Cupcakes

Frost your cupcake flat with butter creaam icing. Set it aside to allow the frosting to crust over. (Frostings with shortening crust over pretty easy, but you may need to experiement with your butter cream frosting find the one that gives you a perfect crust.) Place your stencil over the top of the cupcake and dab on a little water. Sprinkle with crushed black edible glitter.

Fondant Covered Cupcakes

Ice your cupcake with a frosting. Roll out the fondant you want to use to cover your cupcake. Cut out a 2″ round and place it on your cupcake. Place your stencil over and dab on a little water or gum paste glue into the pattern. Follow with a sprinkling of edible glitter. Your cupcake design will show up very nicely and add a bit of sparkle to the table.

Where to get Stencils

You have a few ways to get stencils for this cupcake project. Download a free stencil from Martha Stewart’s web site, purchase stencils (Wilton has a series of Halloween stencils) or make your own by downloading free images on-line and creating a custom design.