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Easy Decorated Halloween Cupcakes Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 69 reviews
  • Author: Paula
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cupcakes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: No-Cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Create festive and charming Halloween-themed cupcakes with this easy-to-follow recipe featuring pumpkin cupcakes topped with vibrant, flavorful vanilla buttercream. Decorate your cupcakes as spooky monsters, jack-o’-lanterns, or creepy spiders with colorful gel food coloring and fun candy accents—perfect for Halloween parties or seasonal treats.

Ingredients

Scale

Pumpkin Cupcakes

  • 12 pumpkin cupcakes or your favorite cupcake recipe

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 6 cups (720g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons (60ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Salt, to taste

Decorations for Monster Cupcakes

  • Gel food coloring: Leaf Green, Fuchsia + Violet, Super Black
  • 2 piping bags
  • 2 couplers
  • Piping tip: small open star tip such as Wilton #21
  • Small candy eyeballs
  • Large candy eyeballs
  • Optional: sprinkles

Decorations for Jack-o’-Lantern Cupcakes

  • Gel food coloring: Orange, Leaf Green, Super Black
  • 3 piping bags
  • Piping tips: Wilton #125 (large petal), Wilton #21 (small open star), small round tip such as Wilton #4

Decorations for Spider Cupcakes

  • Gel food coloring: Super Black
  • 1 piping bag
  • Piping tip: small round tip such as Wilton #4
  • Oreo Mini cookies
  • Mini candy eyeballs

Instructions

  1. Make the vanilla buttercream: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 5 and 1/2 cups (660g) confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste and add a pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon) if frosting is too sweet. Stir by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon for 1–2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles.
  2. Adjust frosting consistency: If frosting is too thin, add up to 1/2 cup (60g) more confectioners’ sugar. If too thick, add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
  3. Tint the frosting: Divide frosting into bowls for each desired color—five bowls if making all designs. Tint with gel food coloring according to desired shades. Keep one bowl white for spider cupcakes. Use a toothpick of black food coloring to tone down bright colors if necessary, as colors darken over time.
  4. Decorate Green Monster Cupcakes: Fit a piping bag with a small open star tip (Wilton #21) and coupler. Fill with green frosting. Pipe a spiral from the cupcake’s edge to the center, then place a large candy eyeball in the center, pressing gently to adhere.
  5. Decorate Purple Monster Cupcakes: Using similar piping setup with purple frosting, pipe medium-sized stars to fully cover cupcake surface. Press small candy eyeballs into the frosting and add sprinkles if desired.
  6. Decorate Jack-o’-Lantern Cupcakes: Use three piping bags fitted with Wilton #125 (large petal), Wilton #21 (small star), and Wilton #4 (small round) tips filled with orange, green, and black frosting respectively. Pipe orange vertical rounded lines from side to side alternating inwards to create pumpkin shape. Pipe green pumpkin stem. Create eyes, nose, and mouth with black frosting for a spooky or goofy jack-o’-lantern face.
  7. Decorate Spider Cupcakes: Spread white frosting smoothly over cupcakes with spatula. Using black frosting in a piping bag with a small round tip, pipe three crisscrossing straight lines to form a web with six sections. Add curved lines between sections to complete web. Place half a mini Oreo cookie for spider body, pipe black dots for eyes and stick tiny candy eyeballs on top. Pipe four legs on each side of the Oreo to complete spiders.
  8. Storage: Store cupcakes at room temperature uncovered for a few hours before serving. Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Use a cupcake carrier when transporting decorated cupcakes.

Notes

  • Buttercream recipe makes enough for multiple designs; scale down if making fewer cupcakes.
  • Gel food coloring is preferred to avoid watering down the frosting.
  • Toning down bright colors with a small amount of black gel coloring creates more natural shades.
  • Be careful to avoid air bubbles in buttercream for smooth decoration.
  • Use a cupcake carrier for safe transport and storage of decorated cupcakes.
  • Decorations are customizable—adjust eyes, sprinkles, and face shapes for unique looks.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cupcake
  • Calories: 350 kcal
  • Sugar: 32 g
  • Sodium: 150 mg
  • Fat: 18 g
  • Saturated Fat: 11 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 44 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Cholesterol: 50 mg

Find it online: https://piesbypaula.com/easy-decorated-halloween-cupcakes-recipe/