Creepy Halloween Spider Cupcakes (How to Make)

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• The easy spider cupcakes recipe makes deliciously soft and fluffy cupcakes and stay moist for a good 4 to 5 days.
• The black color of the cupcakes is all naturally derived from black cocoa powder.
• The black buttercream starts with a chocolate buttercream base made using black cocoa powder, hence minimal food coloring used.
• This is an easy cupcake decorating idea. No special cutters are required for the spiders, they can be piped free hand.
• The pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice flavors of the cupcakes are great for the Fall season.

This simple chocolate pumpkin cupcakes recipe is adapted from my incredibly moist vanilla cupcakes recipe, and chocolate pumpkin cupcakes recipe to create deliciously moist chocolate cupcakes with a delightful pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice flavors.

Unlike most spider themed cupcakes on the internet which are decorated with Oreo cookies (or other chocolate sandwich cookies), and candy eyes or candy eyeballs, the spooky spider cupcakes design I have here is a unique but equally simple to decorate.

If you're craving more pumpkin delights, be sure to explore my collection of pumpkin desserts, such as this autumn-inspired pumpkin spice pound cake and salted caramel pumpkin cupcakes. Also, discover creative ways to incorporate pumpkins into your Halloween party with treats like my Halloween marble cake and these the Jack O Lantern Halloween pumpkin cupcakes.

📋Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt - combine these dry ingredients and sift them along with the pumpkin pie spices and cocoa powder. Sifting aerates the flour, ensuring well-risen cupcakes, and helps the ingredients to combine well. Fine salt is recommended for optimal flavor enhancement.
• Black cocoa powder - contributes to the rich chocolate flavor and black color of the cupcakes. Sift the cocoa powder to prevent any lumps in the batter.
• Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - avoid coarse sugar, which may leave unwanted specks on the cupcakes after baking. If granulated sugar is unavailable, briefly process coarse sugar to achieve a finer texture before using.
• Butter - I prefer using salted butter. If you choose unsalted butter, add a small extra pinch of salt to the recipe.
• Eggs - opt for large-sized eggs at room temperature for optimal baking results.
• Milk - contributes to the moisture in the cupcake batter, and gives them a moist and tender crumb.
• Pumpkin puree – both canned puree or homemade pumpkin puree can be used. If using homemade puree, make sure the texture is neither too thick nor too runny. It should be similar to canned pumpkin. Do not use pumpkin pie filling, as it is not suitable for this recipe.
• Pumpkin pie spice – this is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. This spice can be purchased in mixed form from local or online stores.
• Vanilla extract - adds a lovely aroma to the cupcakes.

For the black buttercream frosting:

• Butter - ensure the butter is softened at room temperature but firm. If it is too soft to the point it is not able to hold its shape, place it back in fridge to firm up. This recipe uses salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt when creaming the butter and sugar. Salt enhances the taste of the buttercream.
• Powdered sugar - sift the powdered sugar before mixing with butter to avoid any lumps in the frosting.
• Milk - this is optional and only required if the buttercream is too stiff. Add in small increments of one or half tablespoon each time to prevent the buttercream from becoming too runny.
• Black cocoa powder - provides the black base color for the buttercream. Sift the cocoa powder before using to prevent any clumps in the frosting.
• Black food coloring – this is optional, and only required in small quantity if used.

For the decoration:

• White fondant – both store bought fondant or homemade fondant will work.
• Green sprinkles – these are for the eyes of the spiders.

🧾Substitution and variations

• Self-raising flour can be substituted with all-purpose flour and baking powder. Use 180g of all-purpose flour and add one teaspoon, plus an additional one third teaspoon of baking powder to it (in addition to the amount mentioned in the recipe). Mix thoroughly and sift at least three times before using.
• Black cocoa powder can be substituted with normal chocolate cocoa powder however, the cupcakes will dark chocolate and not be as black. To make them black, add a few drops of food coloring to the cupcake batter. For the buttercream, you can use normal cocoa powder but may need to increase the amount of food coloring added for a truly black buttercream.
• White sugar for the cupcakes can be replaced with brown sugar. Use exact same quantity.
• If you don't have powdered sugar, you can grind regular sugar until it's fine and then sift it to make the buttercream.

👩🏻‍🍳How to make

Bake the cupcakes

Step 1: Pre heat oven to 175°C and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Step 2: Whisk together self-raising flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl (image 1). Sift the mixture and set it aside (image 2).

Step 3: In a separate bowl, combine sugar and butter, and cream until they turn light and fluffy (about 2 minutes on medium speed) (image 3). Remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.

Step 4: Beat in the eggs, one at a time (image 4), ensuring that each egg is well incorporated before adding another one. Scrape the bowl's sides and bottom halfway through to ensure thorough mixing.

Note: Scraping the bowl guarantees that all the ingredients are properly blended, leaving no unmixed portions.

Step 5: Add the pumpkin puree and beat until well combined (image 5). Don't worry if the mixture appears curdled after adding the pumpkin puree.

Step 6: Gradually fold half of the flour mixture (dry ingredients) into the wet ingredients(image 6).

Step 7: Incorporate the milk (image 7) and fold again, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed (image 8).

Step 8: Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Step 9: Scoop the cupcake batter and fill each liner about three quarters full (image 9). Using a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop with a spring release can help maintain consistent cupcake sizes.

Step 10: Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean without any wet batter. Alternatively, check if the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed on the top.

Step 11: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them rest in the tin for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature before decorating (image 10).

Note: Cover the cupcakes with a kitchen towel while cooling to prevent them from losing their moisture.

Make the black buttercream frosting

Step 12: Add butter into a large bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Step 13: Sift in the powdered sugar followed by the black cocoa powder (image 11).

Note: Mix with spatula first before using the mixer. This is help moisten the sugar and prevent it from flying all over as you turn on your electric mixer.

Step 14: Continue mixing with the mixer on low speed and then increase to medium speed until the sugar, cocoa powder and butter are well incorporated and the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and the beaters to make sure there is no butter or sugar or cocoa powder left unmixed at the bottom and sides of the bowl as well as the beaters.

Step 15: Add the vanilla extract and beat again until well combined. At this stage, the buttercream may not appear completely black. It is best to set it aside for approximately 10 to 20 minutes as the black color from the cocoa powder will intensify slowly (image 12).

Note: If the color is not sufficiently black, add a few drops of black food coloring or a combination of red, green and brown food colors after allowing the buttercream to rest. Mix well and let the frosting rest again for another 10 to 15 minutes to allow the colors to intensify.

Step 16: Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag. Fit another 2 empty piping bags with a star tip (tip #1M) and a small round tip (tip #3) each.

Note: If the buttercream is too much to be filled into a single piping bag, fill it into two. Once you have finished using the first one, simple remove it form the piping bags that has the tips attached and replace with the new bag.

Decorate the cupcakes

Step 17: Insert the black chocolate frosting bag into the star-tipped piping bag.

Step 18: Pipe a row of reverse stars on top of each cupcake (image 13). Complete the piping for all the cupcakes.

Step 19: Next, pinch some white fondant and roll it thin to about ⅛ of an inch. Cut out small circles with a 2-inches diameter round cutter (image 14). Cut out sufficient circles to cover all the cupcakes.

Note: Knead the fondant until smooth and pliable before rolling. Dust your workspace with some cornstarch before rolling the fondant to prevent it from sticking (here is how you can make your own dusting pouch).

Step 20: Place the cut outs onto each frosted cupcake. Position them right in the center of each cupcake.

Transfer the black buttercream bag from the star tipped bag into the round tipped bag to pipe the spooky spiders.

Step 21: Start with the spider bodies. Pipe a circle and fill it with buttercream (image 15).

Pipe a smaller circle in front of it and fill it with buttercream too. This will form the head of the buttercream spider (image 16).

Step 22: Next, pipe 4 spider legs on each side of the spider (image 17).

Step 23: And finally, use a tweezer to place 2 tiny green sprinkles for the eyes of the little spiders (image 18).

💡Expert tips

• Make sure the black cocoa powder is thoroughly mixed into the cupcake batter to achieve a deep, rich black color.
• Always allow some time for the color of the cocoa powder and food color to intensify in the frosting before adding more.
• Gel based food colors are prefer as they are concentrated and you only need to use small amounts, which in turn will not alter the consistency of the frosting, unlike liquid food coloring which has a tendency to impact the texture of the buttercream if used much.
• Fondant might turn soggy in humid environment. Keep the cupcakes in an airconditioned room, but not the fridge as the fondant will condensate.

💭FAQs