Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes

Get ready to elevate your Halloween celebration with these Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes, a delightful fusion of rich, chocolatey goodness and festive fun. These cupcakes feature a moist and decadent chocolate base and also offer the optional surprise of a luscious ganache filling that oozes out when you take a bite! Perfect for Halloween parties or simply as a spooky sweet treat, these mini jack-o-lanters are sure to cast a delicious spell on your taste buds!

Halloween is one of the COOLEST holidays! I have a whole section of fun fall desserts on the bloggy, but one of my favorites for Halloween celebrations is this Black Velvet Cupcakes recipe!

Why You'll LOVE This Recipe

Rich Chocolate Flavor: The chocolate cupcakes are rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey, especially when you opt to fill them with ganache! These will totally satisfy your cravings for a decadent treat.

Festive: These cupcakes bring Halloween spirit to your dessert table with their adorable and spooky Jack-o'-lantern faces, making them a hit at Halloween parties and gatherings.

Fun to Decorate: Decorating the cupcakes with Jack-o'-lantern faces allows for creativity and a fun DIY element, making them an engaging baking project for both kids and adults.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes Base

• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
• Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil is the base of the recipe. Oil creates a moister and fluffier cupcake than butter. It can be substituted for another unflavored oil.
• Eggs: 2 large eggs at room temperature add to structure.
• Vanilla Extract: Even though these have a deep chocolate flavor, pure vanilla extract rounds out the flavor of the cupcakes.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream creates moist and tender cupcakes. You can substitute it with Greek yogurt.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk smooths out the batter and creates a lighter, more tender cupcake.
• All Purpose Flour: Regular, plain all purpose flour is perfect for a soft texture. Measure properly by using a kitchen scale. You can also use a spoon to carry and level the flour into your measuring cups.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is where these cupcakes get their chocolate flavor. I use natural cocoa powder.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Both of these leavening agents work together to help these cupcakes rise. Do not substitute one for the other.
• Salt: Salt brings out sweetness and enhances flavor.

Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter: Butter is the primary fat in American buttercream and provides a rich, creamy flavor and texture. Using it at room temperature makes it easier to whip, resulting in a lighter and fluffier frosting.
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar, also known as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar, is the sweetening agent in American buttercream. It contributes to the structure and thickness of the frosting.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds moisture and creaminess to the buttercream. It helps achieve a smooth and spreadable consistency, making it easier to work with.

Step by Step Process

Chocolate Cupcakes Base

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, line your 12-count muffin tray with liners.

STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, room temperature sour cream, and room temperature buttermilk together. Whisk until smooth.

STEP 3: Add your properly measured all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Mix with a whisk only until you see the dry flour pieces disappear.

STEP 4: Then, transfer your batter to the 12 liners, adding about ¼-⅓ cup of batter to each cavity. The cupcakes should be ¾ full.

STEP 5: Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes look slightly shiny, the centers look set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to cool before decorating.

Chocolate Ganache

STEP 1: Place dark chocolate chips in a medium, heat-proof bowl. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, heat heavy whipping cream until it begins to simmer.

STEP 2: Immediately, pour the cream over your chocolate chips. Push chocolate chips under the cream if they aren’t fully covered by the heavy cream.

STEP 3: Let the mixture sit for about 2 minutes, uncovered. Then, use a rubber spatula, wire whisk, or spoon to combine. Start by making small circles in the center of the bowl. Continue making a swirl motion and slowly begin working outside the center of the bowl as the mixture combines.

STEP 4: Place a piece of cling wrap directly on top of the ganache until after the cupcakes have baked and cooled.

Buttercream

STEP 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.

STEP 2:Add heavy cream to the frosting and beat on high speed for about 3-5 minutes.

STEP 3: If you are using black frosting instead of black decorating gel, remove ⅓ cup of frosting and dye it black using black food gel. Color the remainder of the frosting orange.

Decorating

STEP 1: After the cupcakes have cooled, use a teaspoon measurer or knife to make a hole in the center of each cupcake. Then, spoon or pipe ganache filling into each cupcake's center.

STEP 2: Transfer your orange frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control if desired. If you'd like a textured pumpkin, fill the piping bag or zippable bag with a 1M piping tip.

STEP 3: To create the true pumpkin look, pipe 2 curved half circles on each edge of the cupcakes, then 2 smaller curved half circles in the middle.

STEP 4:Then, use your black food gel or black frosting to create a jack-o-lantern face on each cupcake by piping 2 triangles and then a textured mouth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Tips

• Homemade Buttermilk: Add 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup before filling it to reach the ½ cup (120g) mark. Mix the two together, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using as buttermilk.
• Measuring Flour: Measure flour correctly by using a kitchen scale to measure 105g exactly. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cups before using a knife to level off the top. Overmeasuring flour will lead to dry cupcakes.
• Bake Time: Bake these cupcakes until they are domed, slightly shiny, the tops spring back when poked, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs.

Storing

Before Frosting:

• Cool Completely: After baking, allow the cupcakes to cool completely in the cupcake pan for about 5-10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not attempt to frost warm cupcakes, as the frosting will melt.
• Cover: Cover the cupcakes with a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap, or place them in an airtight container.
• Storing: Store the unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature if you plan to frost and serve them within the next day or two. If not, store them in the freezer for up to 2 months and thaw in the fridge before frosting.

After Filling and Frosting:

• Cover or Dome: Protect the frosted cupcakes by covering them with a cupcake dome or a large, shallow airtight container, placing them in an airtight container, covering them with plastic wrap, or using individual cupcake boxes or containers if you have them.
• Refrigeration: Place cupcakes in the fridge for up to 5 days if you fill them with ganache. Let them come to room temperature before serving. If you didn't fill them with ganache, they can be at room temperature for up to 4 days.
• Freezing: Place the cupcakes on a tray or plate. Leave them in the freezer for about 30 minutes for the frosting to firm up. Then, wrap each cupcake in cling wrap and place them in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper in between layer. Thaw in the fridge before storing.

Related Recipes

Print