A fun and easy Halloween Cupcakes recipe, these Ghost Cupcakes are easy enough for the kids to help make and are sure to be a hit at your Halloween party!

Easy Halloween Cupcakes Recipe

Halloween is hands-down my favorite holiday, but it also falls smack dab in the busiest work season of my year.

As much as I love getting to create an amazing, intricate dessert (and I have soooo many ideas for wicked Halloween desserts), simple and quick recipes like these Ghost Cupcakes are more realistic for my busy schedule, yet are still a lot of fun to make and serve.

Speaking of busy work seasons, I actually made these Halloween Cupcakes for Ella’s Grade 1 Halloween Party… last year. They were a huge hit with both the kids and parents, and I’m pretty sure I promised more than one parent that I’d share my recipe for the vanilla buttercream frosting… well, better late than never? *oops!*

Honestly, I don’t think it makes a huge difference if you make the cupcakes from scratch or use a boxed mix – but the homemade frosting is a non-negotiable. It really does make all of the difference and puts these cupcakes straight into “bakery-quality” territory. (Seriously, people thought that I had dropped serious moolah buying bakery cupcakes for a grade one Halloween party… I’m not that fancy!)

If you’re also having a busy season, you can make and freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to one month. Take the frozen cupcakes out of the freezer the morning or night before the party and frost and decorate them once they have thawed completely.

Ingredients for Ghost Cupcakes

• All-purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cocoa Powder
• Salt
• Butter, softened
• White Sugar
• Large Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Milk

Tip: you can also skip the frosting completely and just use the white candy melts and marshmallows to top the cupcakes.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cupcake tins
• Mixing bowl
• Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
• Small microwave-safe bowl
• Offset spatula

How to Make Marshmallow Ghost Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a muffin pan with themed cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

For the vanilla buttercream:

Place softened butter into a bowl and beat in 2 cups of icing sugar. Add 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and vanilla.

Add remaining icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Add food colouring, if using.

Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with no tip or a circular tip.

Swirl the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.

To decorate:

Melt the candy melts with the shortening for 25 seconds, stir, and reheat if necessary.

Place a large marshmallow in the center of each cupcake and spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of the candy melts overtop. Use the back of a spoon to help the candy melts move if needed.

Repeat with the other ghost cupcakes. After each ghost has dried for about 5 minutes, attempt to attach the eyes – if the candy melts are still too soft, give it another couple minutes before re-attempting.

 

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Yield: 18 cupcakes

Easy Ghost Cupcakes

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An easy Halloween cupcake recipe for your Halloween party, these Ghost Cupcakes with marshmallows and vanilla buttercream are tasty and easy enough for the kids to help make

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

For the vanilla buttercream:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3-4 cups icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

For the decoration:

• 1 cup white candy melts
• 1 Tablespoon shortening or vegetable oil
• 18 large marshmallows
• 36 candy eyes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin pan with themed cupcake liners.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
6. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

For the frosting:

1. Place softened butter into a bowl and beat in 2 cups of icing sugar. Add 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and vanilla.
2. Add remaining icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Add food colouring, if using.
   
3. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with no tip or a circular tip.
4. Swirl the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.

For the Ghost Decoration

1. Melt the candy melts with the shortening for 25 seconds, stir, and reheat if necessary.
2. Place a large marshmallow in the center of each cupcake and spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of the candy melts overtop. Use the back of a spoon to help the candy melts move if needed.
3. Repeat with the other ghost cupcakes. After each ghost has dried for about 5 minutes, attempt to attach the eyes - if the candy melts are still too soft, give it another couple minutes before re-attempting.

Recommended Products

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

• 
  Wilton Edible Candy Eyeballs, 0.88 oz.
• 
  Wilton Candy Melts, Bright White, 12 oz.
• 
  Jet-Puffed Marshmallow, Regular, 16 oz

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 661Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 130gFiber: 1gSugar: 108gProtein: 3g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

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These fun Halloween cupcakes will be a real scream at your Halloween festivities, and they are shockingly easy to make!

For more delicious Halloween recipes, check out our Spiderweb Cupcakes with Cream Filling or our Garlicky Spaghetti with Devilled Egg Eyes.

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