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–+ servings

Halloween Birthday Cupcakes

Forget store-bought treats—these cupcakes will steal the show at any spooky birthday party. With buttercream frosting, candy eyeballs, and mini Oreos, you’ll turn plain cupcakes into monsters, pumpkins, and spiders that are scary-cute and party ready.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cupcakes

EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)

Ingredients
  

  • 12 baked cupcakes pumpkin, chocolate, vanilla, or your favorite flavor
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened (3 sticks)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar about 1 ½ pounds
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Gel food coloring orange, green, black, purple/pink mix
  • Small candy eyeballs
  • Large candy eyeballs
  • Sprinkles optional
  • Mini Oreo cookies

Instructions

  • Make Buttercream: Beat softened butter with a mixer for 2 minutes until creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then on medium-high for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if too sweet. Stir by hand to release air bubbles.
    1 ½ cups unsalted butter, 6 cups powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, Pinch of salt
  • Adjust Consistency: If too thin, add up to ½ cup more powdered sugar. If too thick, add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth and pipeable.
  • Tint Frosting: Divide frosting into bowls for your designs—green, orange, black, purple, and white. Stir in gel food coloring. Note: colors darken as they sit, so don’t overdo it.
    Gel food coloring
  • Decorate Green Monsters: Fill a piping bag with green frosting and a small star tip. Pipe a spiral from the outside in, then press a large candy eyeball in the center.
    Large candy eyeballs
  • Decorate Purple Monsters: Fill a piping bag with purple frosting and a small star tip. Pipe small stars all over the cupcake top. Add small candy eyeballs and sprinkles.
    Small candy eyeballs, Sprinkles, 12 baked cupcakes
  • Decorate Jack-o’-Lanterns: Fill one piping bag with orange frosting and a petal tip. Pipe rounded vertical stripes across the cupcake. Use green frosting and a small star tip for the stem. Use black frosting and a small round tip for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Decorate Spiders: Spread white frosting on top of a cupcake. With black frosting and a small round tip, pipe 3 crisscross lines, then connect them with curved lines to form a web. Place half a mini Oreo for the spider body. Pipe 2 dots of black frosting, press mini candy eyeballs on top, and finish with 8 black legs.
    Mini Oreo cookies
  • Serve or Store: Leave uncovered at room temperature for a few hours before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.