Description
These Easy Halloween Cupcakes feature moist chocolate cupcakes topped with a vibrant swirl of homemade neon-colored buttercream frosting. Perfectly festive for Halloween, they’re decorated with spooky sprinkles and can be made quickly using a box cake mix or a homemade chocolate cupcake recipe for extra richness.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- 12 cupcake liners
- 1 box cake mix (triple chocolate fudge or any preferred chocolate cake mix)
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar (1 pound)
- 2 Tablespoons whole milk
- Gel food colors: neon green, orange, and purple
Decoration
- 3 piping bags
- Wilton 1M piping tip
- Halloween-themed sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare Cupcakes: Preheat your oven according to the cake mix instructions, line a cupcake pan with 12 liners, and prepare the cake batter as directed on the box or using your homemade chocolate cupcake recipe. Pour the batter evenly into each liner and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- Make Buttercream Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and blend until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in the whole milk and mix until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Color the Frosting: Divide the frosting evenly into three separate bowls. Add a few drops of neon green gel food color to one bowl, orange to another, and purple to the last. Mix each bowl until the colors are vibrant and evenly distributed.
- Prepare Piping Bags: Fit three piping bags each with a Wilton 1M tip. Fill each bag with a different colored frosting. To create multi-colored swirls, you can either pipe each color separately in a coordinated fashion or place smaller amounts of each color side-by-side in a single bag.
- Decorate the Cupcakes: Pipe a swirl of the neon colored buttercream frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Finish by sprinkling Halloween-themed sprinkles over the top for a festive look.
Notes
- These cupcakes can be made using either a box mix for convenience or a homemade chocolate cupcake recipe for richer flavor.
- The neon gel colors create a vibrant, festive appearance perfect for Halloween parties.
- Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- You can store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 40 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
