Spider Cupcakes for Halloween
Servings 24 cupcakes
These easy spider cupcakes are made with moist chocolate cupcakes, cream cheese frosting and Oreo spiders with candy eyes and chocolate legs. They're a fun Halloween cupcake idea and can be made with all-purpose, whole wheat or gluten-free flour.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar or 1 cup (320 grams) honey
- 1 3/4 cups (236 grams) flour see notes
- 3/4 cup (85 grams) cocoa powder I used Dutch-process
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs 50 grams each out of shell, or 2 chia eggs, see notes
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk see notes
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) oil see notes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (177 ml) boiling water see notes
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter softened
- 16 ounces (450 grams) full-fat cream cheese room temp, see notes
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
Decoration:
- 24 Oreos use GF Oreos if you're gluten-free
- 1 1/3 cups (226 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 48 candy eyes
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line 2 muffin pans with 24 liners.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sugar (if using honey, don’t add it yet), flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar , 1 3/4 cups (236 grams) flour, 3/4 cup (85 grams) cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add eggs, milk, honey (if using), oil and vanilla. Mix until combined and then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be almost as thin as water.2 large eggs, 1 cup (240 ml) milk, 1/2 cup (120 ml) oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3/4 cup (177 ml) boiling water
- Fill each liner just a little more than halfway full.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, but no liquid.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.
Make the frosting:
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, prepare the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese until soft and smooth.2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, 16 ounces (450 grams) full-fat cream cheese
- Add the salt and vanilla and beat until combined.1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until fluffy.2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
- Spread about 5 teaspoons of frosting over each cooled cupcake.
Decorate:
- Note that the candy eyes should only be applied shortly before serving. This is because if you refrigerate candy eyeballs for several hours, the moisture from the refrigerator will cause the black pupils to bleed a bit. The Oreos and legs can be added to the cupcakes a day ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
- Twist the Oreos apart and use the cookie halves without the cream. Place one on top of each cupcake. You can also use whole Oreos if you prefer.24 Oreos
- Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag and cut a very small opening in the tip.1 1/3 cups (226 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pipe 4 chocolate legs on each side of the Oreo. Use a tiny dab of melted chocolate to attach 2 candy eyes to each spider.48 candy eyes
To store:
- You can make the cupcakes up to 4 days in advance. I would recommend refrigerating them after 2 days, just to be on the safe side. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Frosted cupcakes with the Oreos and spider legs can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Try to add the candy eyeballs just a few hours before serving.
Notes
- For the flour, you can use all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour. If you're gluten-free, use 1 3/4 cups (236 grams) Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour or 1 3/4 cups (236 grams) King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour.
- To make the chia eggs, mix 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds with 6 tablespoons water. Let sit for 1-2 minutes, until thickened and gel-like.
- You can use dairy milk or an unsweetened non-dairy milk. If using full-fat canned coconut milk, thin it with water until it has approximately the consistency of regular milk.
- For the oil, you can use canola, vegetable, grapeseed or a mild olive oil. Any neutral-flavored oil works well.
- I know the batter looks extremely thin after adding the 3/4 cup (177 ml) of boiling water, but the full amount is needed.
- If you live outside of North America and have the kind of cream cheese that's meant for toast (that comes in a little plastic tub) rather than American-style brick cream cheese, then get two 300-gram packages of cream cheese, place it in the center of a cheesecloth, and wring out the liquid until you have 450 grams of cream cheese left.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
Nutrition
Calories: 421kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 5gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 290mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 2gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 453IUCalcium: 58mgIron: 3mgNet Carbs: 49
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