Spooky Chocolate Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Frost cupcakes a few at a time using 1 container frosting. Immediately sprinkle cupcakes with decors.
• Place contents of second container of frosting in quart-size resealable plastic freezer bag. Cut small tip from corner of bag. Squeeze frosting onto cupcakes in mound shapes of various sizes.
• Decorate as desired using candy eyeballs on frosting mounds.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two 12-hole cupcake tins with cases. Beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is creamy. Beat in the chocolate and the eggs until combined, then stir in the flour and baking powder, cocoa powder, milk and food colouring, if using. Spoon the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases, levelling the tops.
• Bake for 20 mins or until the cakes are risen and springy to the touch. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft, then stir in the icing sugar a little at a time. Beat in the vanilla and some black food colouring, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
• For the cat face, pipe the black buttercream in an even swirl onto the cupcake and smooth with a palette knife. Pipe two ears by making a blob for each and pulling the icing bag upwards to a point. Add two eyes on each with Smarties and use the black icing pen to paint a pupil onto each. Add a triangle nose made of pink fondant icing and create whiskers with sweets.
• For the monster faces, cut circles of green and blue fondant to fit the tops of the cupcake and fix them in place with a little buttercream. Add eyes, noses and mouths made of sweets or use icing eyes (see tip, below). For skeletons, cut out shapes with white fondant and fix in place with the buttercream.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
• Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
• In a bowl, cream the shortening, butter and confectioners' sugar. Stir in water and extracts. Remove 1/2 cup frosting to a small bowl; tint with black food coloring. Frost cupcakes with remaining white frosting.
• Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag. Insert a small round #5 tip; fill bag with black frosting. Decorate cupcakes with black frosting and candies as desired. Yield: 2 dozen.