Description
Celebrate Halloween with these creepy chocolate spider cupcakes featuring moist pumpkin-infused chocolate cupcakes topped with black cocoa buttercream and decorated with white fondant spiders with tiny green sprinkle eyes. Perfect for festive parties and spooky treats.
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 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons 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 your oven to 175°C and line a cupcake pan with muffin liners. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt, then sift and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In another bowl, combine the granulated sugar and salted butter and cream with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl sides halfway for even mixing.
- Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl sides midway through mixing to ensure thorough blending.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined, expecting the batter to curdle slightly. Fold in half the sifted flour mixture gently. Add milk and fold again, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Add vanilla extract and mix well without overmixing.
- Fill cupcake liners: Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about three-quarters full for ideal rise and texture.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes rest in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely while covered with a kitchen towel to retain moisture.
- Make the buttercream: Beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Sift in powdered sugar and black cocoa powder. Lightly mix with a spatula before using the mixer again on medium speed until smooth and well combined, scraping down sides and beaters.
- Add flavor and color: Beat in vanilla extract. Let the buttercream rest for 10 to 20 minutes for the cocoa color to intensify. If not dark enough, add black food coloring or a combination of red, green, and brown gel colors. Mix well and rest again for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Prepare piping bags: Transfer buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (#1M). Prepare another piping bag with a small round tip (#3) for spider details.
- Decorate cupcakes: Pipe a circle of reverse stars with the star tip buttercream on each cupcake. Roll out white fondant thinly (about 1/8 inch) and cut out 2-inch circles for each cupcake. Place the fondant circles in the center over the buttercream.
- Pipe spiders: Switch the buttercream to the round tip piping bag. Pipe a small circle for the spider’s body and a smaller circle in front for the head. Add 4 legs on each side with thin lines of buttercream.
- Add eyes: Use tweezers to place two tiny green sprinkles on the spider’s head for eyes. Repeat for all cupcakes to complete the creepy spider decoration.
Notes
- Scraping the bowl ensures no unmixed ingredients remain for a consistent batter.
- Using a cookie or ice cream scoop with a release mechanism helps maintain uniform cupcake sizes and even baking.
- Baking times depend on the cupcake liner size; adjust if using larger or smaller liners accordingly.
- Cover cupcakes with a kitchen towel while cooling to keep them moist and prevent drying out.
- Mixing powdered sugar and cocoa powder with a spatula before using the mixer helps prevent sugar from flying around and improves blending.
- Gel-based food coloring is preferred as it doesn’t affect buttercream texture like liquid dyes. Mixing red, green, and brown gels can substitute for black coloring.
- If the buttercream amount is too large for a single piping bag, use multiple bags and refill as needed for convenience.
- Knead fondant well and dust your workspace with icing sugar or cornstarch to prevent sticking before rolling.
- Fondant circles should fit the cupcake size; use a cutter corresponding to your cupcake diameter.
- Store decorated cupcakes in a cool, air-conditioned room to avoid fondant sogginess; avoid refrigeration to prevent condensation on fondant.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
