Description
These Halloween Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes are delightfully festive treats perfect for any spooky celebration. Featuring moist cupcakes topped with vibrant green buttercream ‘grass’ and a charming pumpkin made from a marshmallow coated in orange frosting and decorated with orange and green M&M’s to resemble a pumpkin patch. Easy to assemble and visually enchanting, these cupcakes are ideal for Halloween parties or classroom snacks.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- 18 cupcakes baked in black cupcake liners
Frosting
- 1 batch of The Best Buttercream Frosting
- Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System – Orange
- Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System – Green (using mix of Blue, Yellow, Red for orange; green straight or mix)
Decorations
- 18 regular-sized marshmallows
- Orange M&M’s, about 20-25 per cupcake
- Green M&M’s, one per cupcake for the pumpkin stem
Tools
- Wilton Frosting Tip #233 (grass tip)
- Pastry bag
Instructions
- Prepare M&M’s: Sort and pull out all the orange M&M’s from a large bag, making sure you have about 20-25 per cupcake to decorate the pumpkin’s body.
- Bake Cupcakes: Bake 18 cupcakes using black cupcake liners as per your favorite cupcake recipe or a boxed mix, baking for about 18 minutes until done. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Tint Buttercream Frosting: Make a batch of your Best Buttercream Frosting. Tint a portion orange using Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System (by mixing red, yellow, and a touch of blue if needed) and tint another portion green for the ‘grass’.
- Pipe Green Grass Frosting: Cover the top of each cupcake with green buttercream frosting. Use a pastry bag fitted with Wilton Frosting Tip #233 to pipe grass around the cupcake top, or simply smooth the green frosting with a knife if preferred.
- Prepare Marshmallow Pumpkins: Take one regular-sized marshmallow per cupcake and pull off approximately one-third from the top to create a slight pumpkin shape. Using a knife or fingers, spread a thin layer of the orange buttercream frosting all over the marshmallow—just enough for the M&M’s to adhere.
- Assemble Pumpkin on Cupcake: Place a dollop of orange frosting in the center of the green-frosted cupcake to act as glue. Set the frosted marshmallow on top of this dollop.
- Decorate Pumpkin: Holding the marshmallow with the ‘M’ side of the M&M’s facing down, carefully place the orange M&M’s around the marshmallow in rows to simulate pumpkin ridges. Place five orange M&M’s on top of the marshmallow, then add a single green M&M in the center to represent the pumpkin stem.
Notes
- These cupcakes are super adorable and very easy to make—perfect for Halloween parties or school treats.
- Using black cupcake liners enhances the Halloween theme and makes the green and orange colors pop visually.
- If you prefer, smooth the green frosting with a knife instead of piping grass for a simpler look.
- Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- Adjust M&M quantities slightly based on the size of marshmallows or personal decoration preferences.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
