Halloween Cupcake Recipes

• 12 Vanilla Cupcakes (baked in orange paper liners)
• 6 small Chocolate-glazed Doughnuts
• 1 can (16 ounces) Vanilla Frosting
• Orange Paste Food Coloring
• 1 cup Orange Coarse Sugar
• 1 cup Orange Nonpareils
• 2 cups Orange Candy-coated Chocolates
• 6 Honey Twist Pretzels
• 2 Green Fruit Chews

• Slice a doughnut lengthwise to get 2 equal circles. Repeat with the other doughnuts.
• Smear some vanilla frosting on the cupcake top and attach a doughnut piece on top, with the cut side down. Repeat the same with other cupcakes.
• Put the cupcakes in the freezer for around 15 minutes, or until they are set.
• Remove from the freezer and add in more vanilla frosting on the sides to even out the cupcakes. Freeze them again.
• Sprinkle orange sugar in a shallow bowl.
• Color the remaining vanilla frosting orange with orange paste food coloring.
• Coat a thin layer of orange frosting on each cupcake.
• Roll the cupcake in the sugar until completely coated. Alternatively, you can arrange orange candies all over the cupcake.
• Make a mark on one side of each cupcake with a wooden skewer.
• Chop honey twist pretzels into half and insert one pretzel into each cupcake at the mark made, with the cut end inside.
• Sliver green fruit chews into thin slices and roll into ropes.
• Twist the ropes into tendrils and garnish them on tops of the cupcakes.

• 2 cups unbleached All-purpose Flour
• 3 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp (½ stick) softened unsalted Butter
• 1½ cups granulated Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Buttermilk

• 2 Egg Whites
• 2½ - 3 cups Confectioners' Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbsp fresh Orange Juice (plus more as needed)
• Black or Dark Brown Food Coloring (as needed)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease 12 muffin-tin wells or line them with paper muffin cups.
• Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended and keep aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, beat together butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high heat, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
• Whisk in the flour mixture in batches, alternating with buttermilk.
• Transfer the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling about just two-thirds.
• Bake for about 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
• Remove and transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, beat egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, till you get stiff peaks.
• Beat in confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and orange juice, until thick and shiny.
• In case the icing is too thick, add some orange juice. However, if it is too thin, beat in more confectioners' sugar.
• Spoon one-third of the icing in a separate bowl and color it with black or dark brown food coloring.
• Transfer the colored icing into a pastry bag, fitted with a tip.
• Firstly, coat some white icing on the top of the cupcake, with a spatula or butter knife.
• Create cobwebs by squeezing out dark icing on the cupcakes, starting at the center and working towards the sides in a spiral shape.