Chocolate Skull Cupcakes Recipes

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
• Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
• Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Easy White Icing using a table knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.

HALLOWEEN SKULL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make, bake and cool cupcakes as directed on box.
• Carefully pull back a small section of paper from each cupcake; insert marshmallow half between paper and cake of each. Frost tops of cupcakes and marshmallows to look like skull shape.
• For each skull cake, use 2 mint candies for eyes, 1 chocolate chip, point side down, for nose, and 6 to 8 almonds for teeth. Store loosely covered.

SKULL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter as directed on package; blend in dry pudding mix. Spoon into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. Bake as directed on package for cupcakes. Cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add sugar gradually, beating well after each addition.
• Pull each cupcake liner partially away from cake. Place a marshmallow half between paper and cupcake to create skull's jaw. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese mixture. Decorate with chocolate chips.

CREEPY HALLOWEEN SKULL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners, preferable dark-colored or Halloween-themed ones.
• Combine cake mix, water, eggs, and oil in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed until batter is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 21 minutes. Remove from oven and cool tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before decorating, about 1 hour.
• Frost each cupcake with a thin layer of white vanilla frosting and refrigerate for 30 minutes to make decorating easier.
• Remove cupcakes from fridge and apply a second layer of white frosting. Fill a piping bag outfitted with a small round tip with chocolate frosting and draw a skull face on the cupcakes: pipe large ovals for the eyes, two dots for the nostrils, and a large "stitched" smile for the mouth.

SUPER MOIST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners - this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until combined. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. The batter will be thin.
• Pour or spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only halfway (this is imperative! only halfway!) to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking.
• Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. I usually let them cool in the pan.
• Frost cooled cupcakes however you'd like. I used chocolate buttercream and Wilton 1M piping tip for these pictured cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE SKULL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups or spray with cooking spray. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat butter and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. Mound about 2 tablespoons frosting on each cupcake. Using fingers, make deep indentations in sides of frosting to look like skull.
• Place 2 chocolate candies on each cupcake for eyes. Cut remaining chocolate candies in half; attach for nose with cut sides in frosting. With dampened kitchen scissors, cut each marshmallow into 5 slices; arrange slices on cupcakes to look like teeth.