Fun and festive cupcakes that make Halloween parties spooktacular!
I know these look like a lot of work and they definitely take time, but I like to cheat and use box cake mix in a pinch. For these I used Duncan Hines vanilla cake mix and added Wilton gel food dye to make the batter orange. Simply make the cupcakes and a second “dump cake” This cake will be used to make the eyeballs. Frosting is mixed with the dump cake and dipped in melting chocolates. This is how you make cake pops by the way.
I paint on an eyeball with gel food dye and baking/food paint brushes. You can order all these supplies online or most craft stores will carry the supplies as well.
Now the glass is pretty easy to make and even more fun to break into pieces. The glass is sugar, corn syrup, water, and a pinch of cream of tartar. Heat until bubbly and reach a temp of 300° F. Pour onto a baking sheet, let it dry and crack into pieces.
Slip into the “eye” and you have a gory cupcake. To make it spookier I like to add some red food dye around where the glass shard meets the eye to make it look bloody. All the details make this so much fun.
Cupcakes-
- 12 cupcakes baked and cooled. I used Duncan Hines Vanilla cake and added Wilton gel food coloring to make them orange.
Simply follow the directions on the back of the box, fill the cupcake tin, and bake.
Buttercream Frosting-
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp. Milk
Cream butter in a mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy. Add half of the sugar and half of the milk. Mix well. Then add the remaining sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides and mix one more time.
Eyeballs-
- 1 9”x13” cake baked and cooled. I use the same as the cupcakes. 1 box of vanilla cake. (No food dye for this one)
- Frosting
- 10 ounce white melting chocolates.
- Parchment paper
- Gel food dye for the eyes. blue, black, green, brown. Or whatever color you want the eyes to be.
- Break up the cake and mix with 3/4 cup of frosting. It will have a good gooey texture.
- Roll into a ball. Whatever size eyeball you would like. I usually do about 2 inches.
- Melt the melting chocolates. Pour the chocolates into a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Mix and heat for 15 seconds more. Mix again and if it is not all the way melted heat for 5 seconds more. Stir and bring over to the work station.
- While it’s hot drop the cake ball into the melted chocolate, Use a spoon to coat and a fork to remove. Let the excess chocolate drain off.
- Move to the parchment paper. Let them dry completely.
- Paint on the iris and pupil once the chocolate is dry.
- Let them dry.
Edible glass-
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or any flavored extract
- pinch of cream of tartar
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray with cooking spray.
- In a saucepan add the sugar, corn syrup, water, extract, and tartar over med-low heat.
- Gently stir the mixture until it begins to boil. After it begins to boil you can stop stirring.
- Using a thermometer to check and see if it reaches 300° F. If you do not have a thermometer pull it off the heat right when it starts to turn yellow.
- Pour onto the bakin sheet and let it set for 1-2 hours.
- Now smash it!
Assembly-
- Using a piping bag, fill with the buttercream frosting. You can choose any tip that you like. Or just spread on with a knife.
- Put the eyeball in the center of the frosting.
- Cut a small slit with a knife where you want the glass shard to be and then insert a piece of the glass.
- Leave as is or paint some red food gel around where the glass went into the eye for a bloody effect.
- ENJOY!
