Haunted Halloween Ghost Cupcakes Recipe
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These Halloween Ghost Cupcakes will make a boo-tiful addition to your party desserts table! The chocolate cupcakes have a spooky surprise inside and are topped with a fluffy, marshmallow-buttercream ghost. A spooktacular treat for Halloween!
I’ve got 50+ freakishly good Halloween Recipes for you to try out – right-click and open these other recipes in a new tab so that you can read them after this one!
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Halloween Ghost Cupcakes
These cupcakes are a real spooky treat for Halloween. Not only are the cupcakes topped with a fluffy little ghost, but there is a surprise hidden inside the cake too – a spoonful of marshmallow fluff. I like to think of that as another ghost waiting to be released, making these cupcakes haunted from the inside out!
Ingredients used in this recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here is a brief outline so you know what to expect from the recipe. I highly recommend always reading a recipe all the way through before starting.
- All-Purpose Flour (Plain Flour)
- Cocoa Powder – use a good quality cocoa powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)
- Salt
- Butter
- Sugar (Caster Sugar)
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Hot Coffee – helps to elevate the chocolate flavour and gives it more richness.
- Marshmallow Fluff – can be found in UK supermarkets these days!
- Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)
- Milk
- Black Fondant – you can buy fondant ready-colored, and as long as you wrap it up well and store in an airtight container it will last a long time so you can use it in other cakes.
Equipment used in this recipe
You are likely to have many of these cooking tools in your kitchen already, but I’ve added some Amazon links for your convenience should you need to purchase anything for this recipe.
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cupcake Pan
- Cupcake Liners
- Electric Mixer – stand or handheld.
- Mixing Bowls
- Ice Cream Scoop – this helps to scoop cupcake batter evenly. Get one with a trigger mechanism.
- Cupcake Corer – makes hollowing out cupcakes for filling, a breeze!
- Piping Bag
- Wilton #12 Tip – a round decorating tip for piping the ghosts on top of the cupcakes.
Ghost Cupcake Recipe Tips
- Preheat your oven and line your cupcake pan before starting to make your cupcakes.
- These cakes are made by sifting the dry ingredients into one bowl, and the wet ingredients into another. The dry ingredients are then added to the wet and stirred to combine.
- Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the cupcake batter between the liners.
- To test that the Halloween Ghost Cupcakes are cooked through, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake and it should come out clean.
- Place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Use a cupcake corer to make a hole in the center of each cupcake. If you don’t have one, you can use a knife to cut out a hole.
- Don’t skimp on the marshmallow fluff filling!
- Don’t overwhip the marshmallow buttercream, you want it to form semi-stiff peaks.
- Place your piping bag into a tall glass and pull the bag over and down the rim to make it easier to fill with buttercream.
- Be generous when frosting your ghosts!
- Roll out small balls of black fondant between your fingers and flatten to make the ghost’s eyes and mouth – they don’t have to all be the same size!
Make It A Spooky Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses? Here are some recipes to take a look at to make a complete meal!
- Appetizer: Jalapeño Popper Mummies
- Main Dish: Toxic Mac ‘n’ Cheese Recipe for Halloween!
- Side Dish: Cheesy Chilli Cornbread
- Beverage: Halloween Mocktail – Frogspawn Slushie
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Recipes Using Chocolate
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cranberry Bread
- Delicious Caramel Apple Cookies with Chocolate Chips Recipe
- How To Make A Chocolate Explosion Cake
More Cupcake Recipes
Want to make some more Halloween cupcakes? Here are some for you to make:
Halloween Ghost Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plain flour
- ½ cup good quality cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch salt
- 6 Tbsp 85g/3oz butter, softened*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup hot coffee
- ½ cup marshmallow fluff
For Buttercream & Decorating
- 2 sticks 1 cup/225g/8oz butter, softened*
- ¼ cup marshmallow fluff
- 4 cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 85 g/3oz black fondant sugarpaste
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C/350F/Gas5 and place cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the butter, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine.
- Slowly whisk dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, one third at a time. When combined, add the hot coffee and stir.
- Use an ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake liner with batter. This mix makes 12-16 cupcakes.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserting into the center of one cupcake.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cupcakes are cool, use a cupcake corer or a knife to carve out a hole in the center of each cupcake, about ¾" diameter and ½" deep.
- Fill each cupcake hole with marshmallow fluff.
- To make the buttercream use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff, and milk on low to start, increasing the speed until ingredients are combined, smooth, and form semi-stiff peaks.
- Scoop the buttercream into a piping bag with Wilton icing tip #12 attached and pipe a ghost on top of each cupcake.
- To make the face of one ghost, roll out 2 small balls from the black fondant – about ¼" and flatten them out to make the ghosts’ eyes. Then roll a more oval shape and flatten to form the mouth. Place onto the frosting ghosts and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
This post is part of my long-running Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Since 2012, I’ve shared Halloween recipes, printables, and crafts every October. While I don’t officially run the series anymore, all my new Halloween posts are still part of this decades-long celebration of spooky fun! Browse past Crafty October years for even more inspiration: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.