Halloween Cupcake Decorating
These creepy creations, which start from store-bought or homemade cupcakes, are sure to dazzle your Halloween party guests. And they're all wickedly fun to make!
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This black cat is anything but bad luck! Instead, it will charm your Halloween guests. You'll be enchanted, too, because this yellow-eyed sweet is a treat to make.
- Using purchased or homemade cupcakes in any flavor, frost each cupcake with chocolate frosting. Cover the cupcake with chocolate sprinkles; be generous to give the impression of fur.
- For eyes, cut a 1/8-inch-thick slice from the large end of two yellow gumdrops. Stick a short piece of shoestring licorice to the cut side of each slice to act as the cat's pupil. Press the eyes into the frosted cupcake.
- For ears, use a paring knife to cut chocolate candy coating dots into triangles. Insert ears into frosting on cupcake.
- For whiskers, cut shoestring licorice into 1-1/2- to 2-inch lengths and arrange on cupcake. Pipe a frosting nose.
Supernatural forces can't chain these ethereal spooks to your Halloween table. They'll vanish as soon as your guests glimpse their billowing forms and taste the white chocolate cupcakes hidden beneath the fondant phantom.
- Generously pipe frosting on a 2-1/2-inch cupcake. Remove paper bake cup from a 1-3/4-inch cupcake and place the small cupcake, upside down, on top of the large cupcake. Generously pipe frosting on top of small cupcake. Top with a doughnut hole. Use frosting to secure any unstable parts of the stack.
- On parchment paper, roll a 1-1/2-inch-diameter ball of fondant into a 6-inch-diameter circle. Drape fondant circle loosely over the cupcake stack, pressing or creasing fondant to make the stack look more ghostly.
- Use frosting to attach sunflower kernels to the fondant for eyes and mouth or use black icing to pipe eyes and mouth.
With bright orange and radiant red frosting, these cute, spiky monster cupcakes are more edible than menacing.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Use a pastry bag with a grass tip to pipe on tinted orange or red frosting.
2. Pipe on white frostingfor the monster's eyes.
3. Make two dots with black frosting for the pupils.
Start with frosted store-bought or homemade cupcakes for this quick and haunting Halloween cupcake.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Use a pastry bag with a basket-weave tip to pipe on white frosting.
2. Pipe on red frosting for the mummy's eyes.
3. Make two dots using black frosting for the pupils.
With such a simple design, these pumpkin cupcakes can be made quickly for any Halloween event on your calendar.
To make the cupcakes, follow these steps:
1. Frost cupcakes with orange frosting and dust with orange sprinkles.
2. Use a wooden skewer to draw pumpkin veins radiating from the center to the outer edge of the cupcakes.
3. Break large pretzel rods into small pieces and stick into the top of the cupcakes for stems.
Watch how easy it is to make our deceptively simple pumpkin cakes.
This eight-legged cupcake cutie sports a friendly grin for any festive occasion. Licorice pieces help create the lengthy legs and sweet smirk.
1. Cover a cupcake with chocolate icing and sprinkles.
2. Attach sourball halves to circle mints using icing.
3. Place the eyes and a chocolate-candy nose onto the cupcake.
4. Form a smile with a small piece of red licorice.
5. Use eight long slivers of black licorice for legs and two short slivers for pinchers; cut into points and insert into cupcake.
Watch our tips and tricks for making these fun and easy Halloween cupcakes.
This cupcake is alive with yummy sweetness. With signature neck bolts made from pretzels, this Halloween cupcake is sweet and salty.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Spray frosting and a marshmallow with green spray icing.
2. Break a pretzel stick in half; press pieces into each side of the marshmallow to make neck bolts.
3. Stick marshmallow on the cupcake for the head.
4. Pipe on black frosting to make the hair, eyes, and mouth.
No bones about it, this cupcake is fit for Halloween and tasty to boot. White candies form a sweet treat that won't rattle your bones.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Place a large candy mint on top of a chocolate frosted cupcake; decorate face with icing.
2. Arrange licorice pastels to make arms and legs.
3. Place small mints at the bottom of the legs for the skeleton's feet.
4. Use white sprinkles to make the skeleton's ribs.
Watch our tips and tricks for how to make these fun Halloween cupcakes.
Writhing serpents encircle Medusa's face, but this mythic creature will turn guests gleeful not stony. Gummy worms cleverly morph ordinary cupcakes into legendary treats.
- Frost a cupcake with chocolate frosting.
- Cut gummy worms into long, thin strips. Curl and pile strips on top of cupcake.
- For eyes, use chocolate frosting to attach two round white candies to the cupcake. Partially bury the eyes in the pile of worms. Place chocolate frosting in a decorating bag fitted with a small round tip to pipe center dots on candy eyes.
These spots might make guests swoon--but the sweet treat will revive them. The polka-dot patterns on these cupcakes are easy to re-create yet the impact on your Halloween buffet is impressive.
- Bake or buy regular-size and mini cupcakes. Frost half the cupcakes with chocolate frosting and half with orange frosting.
- Arrange candy-coated milk chocolate pieces, such as M&Ms, on top of the frosted cupcakes. Use orange candies on the chocolate-frosted cupcakes and brown candies on the orange-frosted cupcakes to create polka-dotted contrast in classic Halloween colors.
Editor's Tip: Use gel-paste food coloring to tint vanilla frosting orange. Add coloring until you reach the desired color.
These cupcakes have an eye out for you. A red velvet cupcake becomes Halloween party worthy with red icing and doughnut holes.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Use purchased red icing to pipe red zigzags atop a white-frosted cupcake.
2. Place a circle gummy candy on top of the cupcake using white frosting to secure.
3. Dip a small doughnut hole in melted white chocolate or icing; place on top of gummy candy for eye.
4. Use icing to attach a small chocolate candy to the top of a doughnut hole for the pupil.
No horror stories here. The whispers that haunt these creepy plots speak of delightful cookies-and-cream cupcakes. Despite specters of shadowy ghosts and unearthly wanderers, these crypts enshroud only good things.
- Split chocolate a sandwich cookie in half. Remove and discard filling. Using a serrated knife, cut a cookie half to make a tombstone shape. Crush remaining cookie and trimmings. Pipe a message in white frosting on flat side of tombstone.
- Place melted chocolate candy coating in a heavy resealable plastic bag; snip off a small corner. Pipe a leafless tree, 3 to 4 inches tall (make it thick so it won't break when hardened) onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Chill until chocolate hardens.
- Frost a cupcake with white frosting. Insert a cookie tombstone. Use a toothpick to make a small hole in cupcake top. Carefully peel chocolate tree from waxed paper and insert into hole; use frosting to secure tree. If desired, add a candy pumpkin.
- Place green-tinted frosting in a heavy resealable plastic bag; snip off a small corner. Using quick upward motions, pipe grass accents around tombstone, tree, and pumpkin. Sprinkle cupcake with crushed cookies.
Take a trip to the pumpkin patch with these oh-so-easy cupcakes. Make them with our Sugar and Spice Cupcakes recipe for a taste of autumn inside and out. The easy fall design makes for a fun--not scary--Halloween treat.
- Tint frosting with green and brown paste food colorings to reach desired grass color.
- Place frosting in a large pastry bag fitted with a multi-opening (grass) tip. Using quick upward motions, pipe frosting to look like grass on top of cupcake.
- Place two or three candy pumpkins on top of cupcake. If desired, change pastry bag tip to a small round tip; pipe up and over the green stem end of each candy pumpkin, forming tendrils.
Slices of marshmallow create a cute mummy cupcake you won't be able to keep under wraps for long.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Dust a frosted cupcake with granulated sugar.
2. Place three slices of marshmallow on top of the cupcake for the mummy's head.
3. Place two small mint candies between the top two marshmallow slices for eyes, using frosting to attach.
4. Put a candy-coated chocolate between the bottom two slices for the mouth, using frosting to attach.
The eyes have it with these deliciously haunting cupcakes. They may be spooky to look at but we're sure they can be Halloween "focal" points.
To make the cupcakes, follow these steps:
1. Make red velvet cake mix in fluted individual tube pans.
2. Once cooled, pipe with white icing in a zigzag pattern around eyeball candies.
These chocolate Halloween cupcakes are brewing up trouble. Licorice handles, a pudding filling, and green decorating gel make these cauldron cupcakes quite the sight.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Hollow out the center of a chocolate cupcake to form a cauldron.
2. Ice around the crevice and sides of the cupcake with chocolate frosting; cover in chocolate cookie crumbs.
3. Fill the top opening with green-dyed vanilla pudding, then decorate with green gel, an array of green sprinkles, and a few pieces of small green candy.
4. Bend a small strip of licorice from one side of the cupcake to the other to form the cauldron's handle. Add a chocolate stick stirrer, if desired.
This coconut-topped Halloween cupcake may look more than a little wicked, but with the witch stuck in the batter and no cauldron in sight, we promise this treat will only taste sweet.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Use black marzipan to shape the witch's boots.
2. Stick yellow mini candy-coated chocolates on each boot for the buckles using frosting to secure.
3. Mold each boot around a peppermint stick to create the legs.
4. Top the cupcake with coconut dyed using green food coloring.
5. Insert peppermint sticks into the cupcake.
With his blue spiked 'do -- created with a closed-star icing tip -- this Halloween cupcake has both style and personality.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Tint frosting orange and ice the cupcake.
2. Tint frosting teal; pipe on spikes using a closed-star tip.
3. Roll fondant to 1/8 inch thick, and cut eye using the narrow and large end of a large round decorating icing tip.
4. Pipe on black pupils and a mouth with a small round decorating tip. Roll fondant 1/16 inch thick. Cut teeth and nails using a knife.
5. Tint fondant teal and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut out hands using a knife.
6. Attach fondant features using a damp brush.
Fondant, icing, and decorator icing tips are the basic necessities you'll need to turn an ordinary cupcake into a spooky green monster. Just warn your guests -- it'll keep an eye on them!
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Tint frosting green and ice the cupcake.
2. Tint fondant green; shape into six curved and tapered arms.
3. Roll fondant to 1/16 inch thick. Using a knife, cut teeth. Use white icing and small round decorator icing tips to pipe on suckers.
4. For the bow, tint fondant pink and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut two 1-1/2x1/4 inch strips. Fold ends toward the center and pinch together. Cut a strip 1/4 inch and wrap the center, flattening the ends on the back.
5. Roll a small amount of pink fondant for the nose.
6. Pipe on white frosting eyes and black frosting pupils with small round tips.
7. Cut a green fondant eyelid using a knife.
8. Pipe on a black frosting nostril, mouth, and eyelashes using at small round decorating tip.
9. Attach fondant features using a damp brush.
Editor's Tip: To ensure the fondant bows and arms retain their shapes, prepare and let dry for 48 hours before attaching.
Owls usually only come out at night, but in cupcake form, they can make an appearance any time. Make a batch of owls to ensure that your Halloween party will be a hoot.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. For the eyes, attach a round candy to a thin candy wafer using frosting. Dab a little frosting to the back of a mini candy-coated chocolate and place on top of the round candy for the pupil. Place both eyes on top of the cupcake.
2. Snip red fruit leather into strips and place around the eyes for feathers.
3. Cut small strips of black string licorice and place above the red feathers for ears.
4. Place a piece of candy corn in the center of the cupcake for the nose.
5. Layer almond slices below the eyes for the owl's ruffles.
6. Place two pecan halves at the bottom of the cupcake for feet.
Marshmallow créme is the secret behind this ghost. The orange frosting on the cupcake helps make the spooky soul really pop.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Microwave 1 cup marshmallow crème (enough for eight cupcakes) in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 20 seconds or until warm. Cool slightly. Place in a large heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; snip one corner and pipe a ghost shape onto a cupcake.
2. Quickly attach chocolate chips or other small candies for ghost eyes and mouth before marshmallow crème sets.
This frightful cupcake is sure to be a monster hit at your Halloween get-together. Big eyes and spiky hair transform a plain cupcake into a special Hallow's Eve treat.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Insert sour candy corn in the frosting for hair.
2. Cut one thin candy wafer in half and place at the top of baking cup for eyes.
3. Use frosting to stick two blue mini candy-coated chocolates to thin candy wafer for pupils.
This goofy and spooky blue Halloween cupcake is as fun to make as it is to eat.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Tint frosting teal and ice the cupcake.
2. Tint small amounts of fondant rose and green. Shape small balls of each color into curved and tapered horns; insert into the cupcake.
3. Tint a small amount of fondant blue. Roll rose and blue fondant each 1/16 inch thick. Cut into an ear shape using scissors; insert into the cupcake.
4. Pipe on frosting eyes and pupils with small round decorating tips.
5. Tint frosting pink; pipe on a mouth using a small round decorating tip.
6. Roll fondant 1/16 inch thick. Cut out teeth using scissors and attach using a damp brush.
Editor's Tip: To ensure the horns retain their shapes, prepare and let dry for 48 hours before attaching.
This chocolaty goblin cupcake, made with sour candy and jelly beans, will be gobbled up in a flash at your next Halloween bash.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Cut or tear sour gummy straws in half and insert them into a chocolate frosted cupcake for the goblin's hair.
2. Use sour gummy rings for eyes.
3. Put a white jelly bean in each ring for eyes and top with a mini chocolate chip (or dab of chocolate icing).
4. Place a green jelly bean under the sour gummy rings for the goblin's nose.
This Halloween cupcake is sure to cause quite a stir at your Halloween party, especially if there's a full moon. Use shredded wheat and candy to create this hair-raising treat worth howling over.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Use pieces of shredded wheat to create the werewolf's hair, beard, and whiskers.
2. Press two red mini candy-coated chocolates into the cupcake for eyes.
3. Make a dot with icing on each candy-coated chocolate for the pupils.
4. Press two candy corn pieces on both sides of the eyes for ears.
5. Tear off a small piece of black licorice for the nose.
6. Pipe on white frosting to make the mouth.
7. Press two candy-coated or frosted sunflower kernels on each side of the mouth for fangs.
These witchy cupcakes just might put a spell on your Halloween guests.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Spoon melted chocolate over sugar cone; sprinkle with edible glitter (sprinkles, chocolate shavings, and black-colored sugar also will work).
2. Make witch's head out of a rounds cut from pound cake; cover sides in green frosting.
3. Ice the cupcake with black frosting; top with pound cake rounds.
4. Cover the top of the witch's head with green frosting and toasted coconut for hair.
5. Place a chocolate wafer cookie on top of the pound cake.
6. Place chocolate-covered cone on top of wafer cookie using melted chocolate to hold in place.
7. Microwave green log-shape candies for a few seconds just to soften and form into noses and warts; attach to the witch's face using frosting.
8. Use white and black tube frosting to pipe on eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth.
9. Microwave just long enough to soften yellow log-shape candies and cut into teeth, using frosting to secure to the witch's face.
This bright pink cupcake monster is sure to be the best dressed. A pretty orange bow accents its licorice locks, making it ready for Halloween guests to gobble up.
To make, follow these steps:
1. Tint fondant rose and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cover the cupcake with fondant, and cut arms using a knife.
2. For the hair, cut licorice pieces and insert into top of the cupcake as shown.
3. For the bow, tint fondant orange and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut two 1-1/2x1/4 inch strips. Fold ends toward the center and pinch together. Cut a 1/4x1 inch strip and wrap the center, flattening the ends on the back.
4. Tint fondant teal and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut nose shape using a knife. Pipe black nostrils with a small round decorating tip.
5. For the eyes, roll white fondant 1/16 inch thick. Cut eyes with knife. Pipe black pupils with a small round decorating tip.
6. Attach features and bow using a damp brush. Pipe black eyelashes with a small round decorating tip.
Editor's Tip: To ensure the fondant bows and arms retain their shapes, prepare and let dry for 48 hours before attaching.
With an ice cream cone hat and a candy corn nose, this tasty scarecrow is better suited for eating than for protecting the fields from scary birds.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Snip green fruit leather into thin, short strips and place on top of the cupcake for hair.
2. Place a piece of candy corn in the center of the cupcake for the nose.
3. Put a jelly bean on each side of the nose; attach a mini candy-coated chocolate to each jelly bean eye using a dab of frosting to secure.
4. Curve a piece of black string licorice into a smile below the nose. Place small pieces of licorice across the smile for teeth.
5. Attach a wafer ice cream cone to the cupcake for a hat.
Transform an ordinary cupcake into a scary peek-a-boo creation with candy pieces and spooky green frosting.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Place two candy-coated chocolate pieces on top of the cupcake for eyes.
2. Decorate eyes using frosting and mini chocolate chips.
3. Crisscross the cupcake with purchased green icing.
From its multiple eyes to its long pink tongue, this cupcake has character. A green fondant bow rests atop its head, a great finishing touch for this monster of a Halloween cupcake.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. For the bow, tint fondant leaf green and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut two 1-1/2x1/4 inch strips. Fold ends toward the center and pinch ends together. Cut two 2x1/4 inch strips and notch a "V" on each end; let dry. Lay folded strips on top of the notched strip. Cut a 1/4x1 inch strip and wrap the center, flattening the ends on the back.
2. Tint fondant rose and roll 1/16 inch thick; cover the cupcake with fondant.
3. Tint fondant black and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut fondant into a mouth shape using a knife. Attach the mouth using a damp brush.
4. Shape white fondant into eyes. Tint fondant rose and roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut rose eyelids using a knife; press onto the eyes.
5. Pipe on black pupils and eyelashes with a small round icing tip.
6. Roll white fondant 1/16 inch thick. Cut out teeth using a knife.
7. Cut a rose uvula using a knife.
8. Attach the bow, eyes, teeth, and uvula using a damp brush. Tint fondant orange and pipe dots with a small round decorating tip.
9. Roll out gumdrops on waxed paper sprinkled with sugar. Cut rolled gumdrops into a tongue shape using scissors dipped in sugar. Score the tongue down the center and insert in place.
Editor's Tip: To ensure the fondant bow retains its shape, prepare and let dry for 48 hours before attaching.
What's hiding under that witch's hat? A delicious cupcake decorated with your favorite candies.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Decorate a sugar cone with green icing.
2. Place a chocolate cookie on top of a white -frosted cupcake.
3. Stick the decorated sugar cone on top of the cookie using melted chocolate.
4. Place two mini candy-coated chocolates in the frosting for the witch's eyes.
5. Tuck dyed coconut under the sugar cone for the witch's hair.
6. Use fruit leather to make strands of hair and a tongue.
These monstrous Halloween cupcakes -- made with frosting, gumdrops, and fruit leather -- are the perfect treat to serve holiday guests, or for anyone who gets a kick out of cute monsters.
1. Cut the rounded tops off cupcakes. Frost cut surfaces of cupcakes with black frosting.
2. Place a large gumdrop half in the center on top of each cupcake.
3. Spread green, orange, and purple frosting over cupcake tops as shown.
4. Place frosted tops over gumdrop halves on cupcakes, tipping each top back slightly to form a mouth.
5. For eyes, attach a small piece of black candy to a slice of marshmallow; insert a small piece of black licorice into bottom of marshmallow slice. Press into cupcake. (Or make eyes from gumdrop pieces and small black candies and/or marshmallow halves, gumdrop pieces, and small black candies.)
6. For teeth, cut marshmallows into pieces or use white small oval mints.
7. For tongues, lay a fruit leather roll flat; fold and press together to make four layers. Use scissors to cut out tongue shapes.
8. Attach candy circus peanut pieces to the fronts of cupcakes for feet (optional).
Everyone will go batty for these chocolaty Halloween cupcakes. A cookie, candy, and some creativity are all it takes to make these tasty treats.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Cover the cupcake with chocolate or colored sprinkles.
2. Break a chocolate cookie wafer in half; use purchased green icing to create wings on each piece of the cookie wafer.
3. Place a candy-coated chocolate in the middle of the cupcake for the head.
4. Make two dots for eyes using green icing.
5. Stick the decorated chocolate wafer halves on each side of the head for the bat's wings.
Encourage monkey business at your Halloween party. Kids will love the grinning monkey design topping these cute cupcakes. This disguise hides none of the fun!
- Print our free masked-monkey design, available below, on heavy paper.
- Use a scalloped-circle punch to cut out the cupcake toppers.
- Cut an orange straw to desired length and adhere to the back of the topper; press into your favorite frosted cupcake.
This orange monster cupcake looks friendly and frightful with a toothy grin and wide-open arms.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Tint fondant orange and roll 1/16 inch thick; cover the cupcake with fondant.
2. Tint fondant teal and shape into ears, arms, and nose. Let dry.
3. Roll white fondant 1/16 inch thick. Cut out teeth using a knife.
4. Insert fondant arms, ears, nose, and teeth. Cut out eyes using the wide end of a large round decorator icing tip.
5. Pipe on pupils and eyebrows using a small round decorating tip.
6. Roll white or light green gum drops out on waxed paper sprinkled with sugar; cut into antler shapes with scissors dipped in sugar, and insert in place.
Editor's Tip: To ensure the fondant ears, arms, and nose retain their shapes, prepare and let dry for 48 hours before attaching.
Even if you're busy crafting a costume, there are no excuses for plain cupcakes around Halloween. Here's a spooky treat that's as easy as 1-2-3.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Place two white candy-coated almonds on the cupcake for eyes.
2. Stick two pieces of puffed cocoa cereal on top of the candy-coated almonds for pupils, using frosting to secure.
Freak out the crowd with this spooky Frankenstein cupcake. A graham cracker face and marshmallow accents turn it into a tasty experiment gone right!
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Ice a chocolate graham cracker square with tinted green frosting, leaving room at the top for hair; place on top of a frosted cupcake.
2. Use chocolate frosting to make spiky hair and Frankenstein's mouth.
3. Cut a small marshmallow in half for the eyes.
4. Dot chocolate frosting on each marshmallow for pupils.
5. Place a dyed marshmallow on both sides of the cupcake for bolts.
Up the "eek" factor of these pudding-filled cupcakes with layers of slimy gummy worms.
To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Turn a cooled cupcake upside down. Scoop out the center carefully with a spoon, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges and about 1 inch on the bottom.
2. Spread the frosting on the sides and top of each cupcake with a table knife or metal spatula.
3. Spoon pudding or yogurt into the center of the cupcake.
4. Place gummy worms in the filling.
