Ghost Cupcakes

Cupcakes are such a fun treat and these Ghost cupcakes are the perfect easy Halloween Dessert recipe! They start with box chocolate cake mix and are topped with a frosting. We will share the secret to making the cute “ghost” on top. It’s so easy with this hidden hack!

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These boo-tiful ghost cupcakes are the perfect way to say Happy Halloween! Festive and sweet, you’ll love making Halloween cupcakes for spooky season. A whipped frosting ghost sits on top of the most fudgey and rich chocolate muffins! You wouldn’t know it, but they’re simply made from a box of cupcake mix.

Your friends and family will ooh and ahh over these adorable bakery quality cupcakes. Save some money this halloween and make your themed treats at home instead of buying them from the bakery! These ghost cupcakes, along with dracula dentures, will make the best spooky dessert table ever. So grab those ingredients and get to baking!

Why You’ll Love Ghost Cupcakes

• This recipe is kid-friendly and perfect for classroom parties or a family friendly event. The perfect amount of spookiness without being too scary.
• If you’re not a super experienced baker, not to worry. This recipe for easy Halloween cupcakes is very simple to make, especially since the base is a box mix.
• Homemade Halloween ghost cupcakes are budget friendly. Grab these seven simple ingredients and use any leftovers in tons of other recipes!

Ingredients for Halloween Ghost Cupcakes

• Chocolate cake mix – Grab your favorite box of chocolate cake mix from the grocery store. For a deeper and more rich flavor, use dark chocolate cake mix.
• Chocolate milk – My secret ingredient to the most fudgey and delicious box mix cupcakes.
• Whipped white frosting – You can buy a can of whipped white frosting from the grocery store, or a can of regular frosting and use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip it.
• Marshmallows – The large marshmallows will give structure, and an extra sweet surprise, to the middle of each frosting ghost.
• Mini M&Ms – Use brown mini M&Ms as the eyes and mouth for each ghost!
• Large eggs – Allow eggs to come to room temperature before mixing into the cupcake batter.
• Vegetable oil – If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use any other neutral oil or even some melted butter.

How to Make Ghost Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Next, combine the cake mix, eggs, chocolate milk, and oil in the bowl of stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Beat the ingredients together for about two minutes.
3. Once combined, scoop the cupcake batter into each cup of the prepared muffin tins. Fill each cup about ⅔ full with batter.
4. Bake chocolate cupcakes for 18-25 minutes until a toothpick can be inserted in the middle of a cupcake and come out clean.
5. Allow the easy Halloween cupcakes base to cool in the pan until they are easy to handle. Then remove them from them from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack.
6. Once completely cool, you can begin decorating! Scoop whipped frosting into a piping bag with a 2A Wilton tip.
7. Place a large marshmallow on the middle of each cupcake and then pipe the frosting around the bottom, Gradually move inward and spiral up the marshmallow.
8. Place M&Ms on the ghosts as eyes and a mouth. Repeat this process with each cupcake until fully decorated!
9. Serve whenever you’re ready!

How to Store Ghost Cupcakes

Ghost Halloween cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days. Loosely cover them in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place. Unfrosted cupcakes will last for up to a week.

FRIDGE: You can refrigerate you cupcakes if you so choose, but they may dry out more quickly. Store in the fridge for 3-5 days.

What can I use if I don’t have a piping bag or piping tip?

If you do not have a piping bag on hand, use a quart sized ziploc bag and cut one corner off. Place frosting in the bag and twist the top to squeeze frosting out of the corner. Pipe in the spiral motion as recommended! Just go slowly and make sure you’ve cut a large enough hole for the frosting to easily come out of.

Can I make any changes to this recipe?

There are tons of ways to customize this super fun recipe for ghost Halloween cupcakes! If you don’t like chocolate, you can use white cake mix or any flavor that you want.

For an extra spooky ghost stare, use candy eyes instead of M&Ms. You could grab some fun sprinkles to use too!

If you need to make these cupcakes gluten free, just grab a box of gluten free chocolate cake mix. You can do sugar free mix for a sugar-free version too!

Add a super fun surprise in the middle of your cupcakes by coring out the center. Then fill it with chocolate chips, sprinkles, or ganache and decorate the top as normal.

Have a happy spooky season and enjoy these silly and tasty cupcakes!

More Holiday Cupcake Recipes You’ll Love

• Let freedom ring with these 4th of July Cupcakes!
• The holiday season just got so much brighter with the prettiest Christmas Cupcakes ever.
• Celebrate Easter with the cutest themed treats like Easter Cupcakes.
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are perfect for Thanksgiving.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

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5 from 3 votes

Ghost Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes topped with a "ghost" make the perfect Halloween dessert. These Ghost Cupcakes have a secret hack to make that ghost on top so easy.

Prep:10 minutes mins

Cook:25 minutes mins

Cooling Time:1 hour hr

Total:1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

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24

cupcakes

Ingredients

• ▢ 15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 cup chocolate milk
• ▢ ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 12 large marshmallows halved
• ▢ 2 tubs tubs whipped white frosting 14 ounce each
• ▢ 48 brown Mini m&ms

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cupcake tins with black cupcake liners.
• Mix together the cake mix, eggs, chocolate milk and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl until completely combined, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally with a spatula.
• Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake tins, filling each liner about ⅔ full with batter. Do not overfill.
• Bake for 18-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
• To decorate the cupcakes, place one half of a marshmallow on the middle of the top of each cupcake.
• Scoop the frosting into a piping bag prepared with a 2A Wilton tip.
• Pipe the frosting around the bottom of the marshmallow and then gradually move inward creating an ice cream type spiral of frosting on the cupcake.
• Place two brown mini M&Ms on the front of the spiral as eyes.
• Repeat with each cupcake until they are all decorated.

Tips

FRIDGE: You can refrigerate you cupcakes if you so choose, but they may dry out more quickly. Store in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cupcake, Calories: 248kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 40g (13%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 22mg (7%), Sodium: 229mg (10%), Potassium: 96mg (3%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 32g (36%), Vitamin A: 40IU (1%), Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 43mg (4%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.