BOO! Soft moist chocolate cupcakes from scratch or a cake mix, frosted with buttercream or chocolate frosting, and decorated for Halloween with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Although a made-from-scratch chocolate cake recipe is always best, a boxed pudding cake mix is a great alternative, especially when you're in a pinch. Either way, these chocolate Halloween cupcakes are frightfully delicious!
SHOPPING FOR INGREDIENTS IN RHODE ISLAND
Find everything you need for this cupcake recipe at Whole Foods Market, Dave's Marketplace, Stop & Shop, and Shaw's stores throughout the Providence, Rhode Island area.
Devils Food Cake Recipe
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Dutch cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare 24-30 cupcake tins with paper liners.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl, and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until creamy. Scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, and beat on high until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl again.
- Turn mixer to low, and add half the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and buttermilk, alternating again, and scraping as needed between additions. Mix until batter is smooth with no lumps.
- Divide the batter evenly between equally into prepared cupcake liners.
- Bake cupcakes for approximately 20 - 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched, and cool completely before decorating.
Chocolate Frosting Recipe
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons dark Dutch cocoa
- 4 Tablespoons whole milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the brown sugar, and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low, add cocoa and continue boiling for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add milk very slowly, being careful not to splatter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from burner and cool to lukewarm.
- Using an electric mixer at medium speed, slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Continue beating until frosting reaches desired spreading and/or piping consistency. Add a little more milk if the frosting is too thick. Add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin.
How To Decorate Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes
- Spread the chocolate frosting over the tops of the cupcakes as desired, maybe with a slight twist of the wrist to form a swirl.
- Or, place the chocolate frosting in a large pastry bag fitted with a large star or rosette tip.
- Starting close to the cupcake, firmly squeeze the bag and frosting through the tip in a round circular motion, finally swirling the frosting into a peak.
- Decorate devil's food cupcakes as desired with Halloween sprinkles, or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup bats as shown in the photo above.
Alternative Frosting Recipes:
White Chocolate Frosting Recipe - Melted white chocolate coating, blended with butter and cream cheese frosting.
Buttercream Frosting - Classic white buttercream frosting made with a secret ingredient—Marshmallow Fluff!
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Copyrighted photo and recipe Scary and cute Halloween cupcakes: Recipes for chocolate Halloween dessert, are owned by Donna Diegel. Permission to republish Scary and cute Halloween cupcakes: Recipes for chocolate Halloween dessert in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
