Listen up, Mamas! We have ONE week ’til Halloween. It’s time to get your act together, and start making treats for all these parties and events on your calendar. Oh, and if you’re like me, you better get those costumes finished up too!
I’ve got you covered for an easy and adorable last minute party treat. These spooky DIY cupcakes will make everyone think you’ve been hard at work in the kitchen all weekend instead of sitting around watching the Vols or goofing off at the pumpkin patch.
I’ve scoured the internet for ideas so you don’t have to (you’re welcome) and I came up with four spook-tacular designs, which I tweaked to make them a little better and a little easier.
Here’s how I made them:
As usual, I started with a dozen cupcakes. I like to use a box mix for cupcakes. My favorites are Pillsbury White Cake Mix, or Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge.
I made my favorite buttercream frosting recipe, and divided it into bowls, then tinted it with food coloring to make the colors I needed: black, orange, pink, green, and purple. And I kept a lot of white aside as well.
1. Cute Little Vampire
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, purple frosting, a frosting bag filled with black frosting with Wilton #16 tip tip, another frosting bag filled with white frosting with Wilton #352 tip, and another black frosting bag with #3 tip.
Step 1: Frost the entire cupcake with purple frosting and smooth.
Step 2: Using the #16 star tip, create the vampire’s hair. Pull away from the cupcake with the frosting as you squeeze to create the spiky effect.
Step 3: Add black dots for the eyes, a black line for the mouth, and two white fangs using the leaf tip. I used my finger to make the fangs a little pointier after the frosting dried.
2. Oozy Brain
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, pink frosting, a frosting bag filled with pink frosting with Wilton #12 tip tip, raspberry jelly.
Step 1: Frost the entire cupcake with pink frosting, and smooth.
Step 2: Using the #12 round tip, draw a straight line in the center of the cupcake, then draw curvy lines to look like a brain on each side of the straight line.
Step 3: Mix a spoonful of raspberry jelly with a little water to make it runny. Then drizzle it over the cupcake to look like blood.
3. Jack-O-Lantern
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, a frosting bag filled with orange frosting with a Wilton #104 tip, another frosting bag filled with black frosting with a Wilton #3 tip, and one more frosting bag filled with green frosting with a Wilton #3 tip.
Step 1: Using the #104 tip, with the wide side facing the outside of the cupcake, make long swipes of frosting across the entire cupcake each one overlapping the last, and ending with one long swipe in the center. If you work from the outside in, you will get a more realistic pumpkin look.
Step 2: Using the #3 round tip, add the Jack-O-Lantern’s eyes, nose, and mouth. Outline them first, then fill in with frosting.
Step 3: Using the #3 round tip, add the green vines at the top of the pumpkin.
4. Mummy-Licious
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, black frosting, a frosting bag filled with white frosting with Wilton #47 tip tip, and edible eyeballs.
Step 1: Frost the entire cupcake with black frosting, and smooth.
Step 2: Using the #47 tip (with the FLAT side up), make long swipes across then entire cupcake. Overlap them to create the mummy effect, and leave some open space in the middle for the eyeballs.
Step 3: Add two edible eyeballs in the open space.
