October 7 2022

Witches Bubbling Cauldron Cupcakes for Halloween!

Name: Witches Bubbling Cauldron Cupcakes
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 18
Ingredients: Cornstarch (cornflour), for dusting; 1 (8oz/225g) package of black fondant; 1 (8oz/225g) package of bright/neon green fondant; 1 tube of bright/neon green frosting; 1 box of chocolate cake mix; 3 large eggs; 1 ¼ cup whole milk; ½ cup canola oil; 2 cups unsalted butter, softened; 4 cups powdered sugar; 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 6 Tbsp heavy whipping cream; Red food coloring gel; Orange food coloring gel; 2 cups halloween sprinkles

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Unleash your inner witch! If you are looking for a unique, colorful, and super yummy Halloween snack or party treat then these Cauldron Cupcakes are just the thing!

For more Halloween treats, 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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Cauldron Cupcakes

The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.

Halloween is just around the corner, and that means it’s time to start thinking about what sweet treats you’ll be serving up at your spooky party!

These chocolate cupcakes are topped with a fondant cauldron complete with a bubbling green potion spilling out, sat upon a “fire” of red and orange frosting

Serve them up on a fancy platter surrounded by edible spiders and bats, and watch your guests’ eyes light up with delight!

So if you’re looking for a fun and festive dessert to add to your Halloween menu, these bubbling Cauldron cupcakes are a perfect choice!

The cauldron and the potion bubbles are made using fondant. If you think it might be tricky to make, I can assure you that it’s not as difficult as you might think.

If you’re an experienced cake maker you can probably jump straight to the recipe at the end of this post and get baking.

But if not, please read through the steps as I’ve got lots of tips and suggestions along the way!

The post is part of the Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog and is filled with free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Halloween! You can check out Crafty October from 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012 for tons of awesome Halloween ideas and inspiration!

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed to make these cupcakes have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. Standard ingredients such as flour or sugar are not listed, as you are likely to have those in your kitchen. The full list with measurements is found on the recipe card.

Cupcakes & Frosting Ingredients

Box of Chocolate Cake Mix – plus additional ingredients to make them – eggs, milk, and oil
Powdered Sugar – also known as Icing Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar.
Pure Vanilla Extract – always buy good vanilla as it really does make a flavor difference.
Food Coloring Gel – Red and Orange

Decorating Ingredients

Black Fondant – to make the cauldrons
Bright/Neon Green Fondant – to make the witch brew bubbles
Tube/Pouch of Bright/Neon Green Frosting – to pipe into the cauldron
Halloween Sprinkles – you can use any sprinkles that you like! Make a mix of your own with different single sprinkle types, or buy a ready-made mix. Whatever you use, you will want about 2 cups to decorate the cupcakes.

Cupcake Decorating Equipment

Cupcake Pan
Cupcake Liners
Ice Cream Scoop
Wire Cooling Rack
Fondant Tools
Large Piping Bag – you can use disposable or reusable, your choice.
Large Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog! I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.,).

Cauldron Cupcake Recipe Tips

The cauldrons to decorate these cupcakes are made with fondant (also known as sugarpaste).

Fondant needs time to dry before using as cake decorations, so allow up to 24 hours to get the pieces made before making and decorating your cupcakes.

Fondant Tips

If you have never worked with fondant before, don’t panic – it is really easy to use, follow my tips and you’ll be just fine!

Line a cookie sheet(s) or tray(s)with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat to place the fondant pieces on to dry.
Dust your work surface with powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar) or cornstarch (cornflour) so that the fondant doesn’t stick. Think of it like the way you use flour when rolling dough.
Rub a little powdered sugar/cornstarch into your hands and knead a handful of the fondant to make it more pliable before rolling, rather than using it straight from the package.
If there is excess powdered sugar on the pieces, you can gently brush away with a pastry brush, or an unused, clean paintbrush.
Alternatively, you can use a vodka spray. Pour some vodka into a mini spray bottle and gently mist the fondant wings. Vodka dries quicker than water which is why it is usually used when handling fondant.
Always make extra pieces – that way if some break or you have another mishap, you have got backups that you can use.
Leave the fondant cauldron to harden in a cool, dry place – do not place them in the fridge.
The fondant pieces should be solid enough to handle and place on the cupcakes after 3 – 6 hours. I personally like to leave fondant pieces to dry for around 24 hours. How long this takes, however, is based on the size and thickness of the fondant, and how humid your house is, so you will need to judge if they will hold up as they need to in the cupcakes.
When making cakes or cupcakes that use fondant decorations I like to make them a few days ahead of time which allows for drying without stress. Fondant that isn’t dry enough can mean disappointing end results.
After using fondant the surface will be super sticky (it always is in my experience!) so you will probably have to wipe away the sugar first, then give it a soapy hot wash over, and then another clean over! You can always buy a fondant rolling mat for easier cleanup.
Always keep fondant covered when making decorations to prevent it from drying out. And when you’ve finished, wrap up any remaining fondant very well – I double wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. This keeps it fresh and you are able to use it for future cake making.

Cupcake Making Tips

Use your choice of cupcake liners – themed to the cupcakes, plain white or black, or a complimentary color.
Use an ice cream scoop to equally divide the cupcake mixture between the cupcake liners. Fill them about three-quarters full.
The cupcakes should be ready in about 20 minutes – test their doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cakes. It should come out clean when the cupcakes are cooked all the way through. Bake for an extra 2 minutes and check again.
Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cupcake Frosting Tips

When making the frosting you want the end result to be creamy, smooth, and hold a stiff peak. You may have to adjust the amount of powdered sugar and cream slightly to achieve the consistency you need.
The frosting is then divided and colored using food coloring. Remember that you can always add more color, but not take it away. Add a little to start with and add more to get the shade required.
FOOD COLORING! Food coloring is available in various forms. You’re most likely to find liquid coloring in your grocery store, and other types of coloring like gels, pastes, and powders in more specialised cake decorating shops. The cheapest option is liquids, but they can alter the consistency of your frosting and cake batter, so I prefer to use pastes or gels which don’t. A little goes a long way with food coloring gels and you can usually get a much deeper shade than you would with liquids.
These cupcakes are double-frosting, a scoop of frosting is placed on each cupcake, then flattened and rounded off using a knife or angled spatula to create the base for lots of sprinkles.
SPRINKLES! Following the color theme provided in the recipe, you can use any type you like such as nonpareils, jimmies, stars, confetti, pearls, or shapes – you’ll need about 2 cups of them in total to cover the cupcakes.
A mixture of red and orange frosting is piped on top of the sprinkles layer to look like a fire, and the fondant cauldron is placed on top.
Use a piping bag fitted with a star tip for the two-color frosting.
There are two ways you can do multi-color frosting:
- Scoop half the side of the piping bag with white frosting and the other half with orange, then squeeze some frosting out until the two colors combine.
- Or, use the double piping bag by putting a piping bag of each color into another piping bag fitted with the tip and frosting as usual. Wilton has a great demonstration video on YouTube that I highly recommend.
If you feel like you are going to be making a lot of cakes and cupcakes in the future, I think it is worth investing in a set of piping tips so that you know you always have the right ones on hand for a recipe.
Do not overfill the piping bag with frosting, and make sure you squeeze the frosting down the bag to expel any air bubbles and to combine the two colors.

More Halloween Cupcake Recipes

Looking for more Halloweens cupcakes to make? Check these recipes out next:

How Do I Make Cauldron Cupcakes?

Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Witches Bubbling Cauldron Cupcakes

Yield: 18

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Unleash your inner witch! If you are looking for a unique, colorful, and super yummy Halloween snack or party treat then these Cauldron Cupcakes are just the thing!

Ingredients

For the Cauldron

Cornstarch (cornflour), for dusting
1 (8oz/225g) package of black fondant
1 (8oz/225g) package of bright/neon green fondant
1 tube of bright/neon green frosting

For the Cupcakes

1 box of chocolate cake mix
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cup whole milk
½ cup canola oil

For the Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
Red food coloring gel
Orange food coloring gel

For Decorating

2 cups halloween sprinkles

Instructions

Use cornstarch as you would flour when making dough. Gently dust your work surface and hands.
Pinch off about 2 tablespoons of the black fondant and roll it into a ball.
Using a fondant tool with a round ball at the end (it's called a ruffle fondant tool) make a small hole in the top of the ball by pushing the tool into the fondant.
Make a deeper, winder hole by working the tool around in the small hole you just made.
Use your fingers to mold the fondant ball into a cauldron shape. Roll out a thin sausage shape of black fondant and wrap it around the top of the hole to create the lip of the cauldron. Make 18 cauldrons (and a few extra in case of breakage!)
Pinch off about 2 teaspoons of green fondant, and roll into a ball. This will be the largest "bubble" Make 18 large bubbles (and a few extras just in case!)
Repeat step with the more green fondant to make 5-6 smaller "bubbles" per cauldron. Make 90 - 108 smaller bubbles (and some extras as before.
Pipe some green frosting into the cauldron, and place the green bubbles on top to resemble a bubbling cauldron. Add extra frosting to get the look you desire for your cupcake cauldrons. Set aside to dry while you make the cupcakes. These fondant decorations do not have to dry hard.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 18 black cupcake liners and set them aside.
To make the cupcakes, use an electric handheld or standing mixer, and beat the chocolate cake mix, eggs, milk, and oil until combined.
Use an ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake batter between the 18 cupcake liners, filling about ¾ way full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
To make the frosting, use an electric handheld or standing mixer, and beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream together until combined, smooth and stiff peaks form.
Remove two ¾ cups of frosting from the bowl and place them into two separate smaller bowls.
Add red food coloring to one of the smaller bowls and mix until combined and to your desired shade of red,
Add orange the food coloring to one of the smaller bowls and mix until combined and to your desired shade of orange,
Scoop the red frosting into one side of a piping bag fitted with a star tip and the orange frosting on the other side. Set it aside.
Scoop a mound of white frosting onto the cupcake using a medium ice cream scoop and smooth and flatten into a thick round disk.
Pour the sprinkles into a bowl and dip the cupcake into the sprinkles to cover completely.
Using the red and orange frosting, pipe small swirls on top of the sprinkle layer to create a fire flame look.
Carefully place the cauldron in the center.
Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Notes

Piping Bag - you can use disposable or reuseable, your choice.

Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 505Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 41mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 0gSugar: 41gProtein: 2g

This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated 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.

Make It A Special Dinner!

You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:

Appetizer: Air Fryer Mummy Meatballs with Marinara Sauce – Halloween Appetizer!
Soup: Spicy Sweet Corn Chowder with Chorizo – A Creamy Yet Light Soup Recipe
Salad: Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
Main Dish: How to Make Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Porked)
Side Dish: Easy to Make Authentic Mexican Rice Recipe
Beverage: Freaky Frankenstein Cocktail

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!

The post is part of the Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Check out Crafty October from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012 for awesome Halloween ideas and inspiration; including recipes, printables, crafts, and more!

Witches Bubbling Cauldron Cupcakes for Halloween!

Cauldron Cupcakes