Make Wicked Cupcakes

Bake and decorate these chocolatey cupcakes to give family and friends a spook of a delight on Halloween. The recipe in this article is set out in three stages: cupcake, frosting and decoration.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1-1/2 ounces (43g) fine-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) prune juice
  • 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup (67 ml) vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (260g) creamy peanut butter
  • 4 oz. (115g) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 cups (480g) confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tbsp. milk

Steps

Making the Cupcakes

  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300ºF (150 C). Set cupcake liners in the cups of a nonstick muffin pan.
  2. Put the chocolate and prune juice in a microwave safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave on low power, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. Set the mixture aside and allow it to cool.
  3. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a second bowl, beat the egg and the egg yolk with an electric hand mixer at high speed for 3 minutes. The eggs are ready when they are thick and have a bright lemon-yellow color.
  4. Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs. Mix the wet ingredients until they are thoroughly combined.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat the batter until everything is just combined.
  6. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each of them half full. Bake them until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed gently, which will take about 25 minutes.
  7. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Then, loosen the liners from the muffin pan. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool them completely.

Making the Frosting

  1. Beat the butter, peanut butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until the ingredients are light and fluffy.
  2. Add the confectioners' sugar and milk. Continue mixing until the frosting is smooth.
  3. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the frosting until it is firm.
  4. Spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes using an offset spatula or a cheese spreader.

Decorating the Cupcakes

  1. Place a chocolate cookie flat on top of a frosted cupcake.
  2. Melt some bittersweet chocolate. Place an inverted sugar ice cream cone in the center of the chocolate cookie, and secure it to the cookie using the melted chocolate as "glue."
  3. Place two candy-coated chocolate pieces in the frosting to look like the witch's eyes.
  4. Cut various colors of fruit leathers into thin lengthwise strips. Tuck the strips under the chocolate cookie to create stringy hair for the witch.
  5. Finished.



Tips

  • You can also dye coconut pieces in food coloring and use those as the witches' hair.

Things You'll Need

  • Cupcake liners (can be decorative for Halloween)
  • Nonstick muffin pan
  • Microwave safe bowl
  • Spoon for stirring
  • Whisk
  • Large bowl plus second bowl to beat the eggs
  • Mixer
  • Toothpick
  • Cooling rack
  • Plastic wrap
  • Offset spatula
  • Chocolate cookies
  • Bittersweet chocolate
  • Sugar ice cream cones
  • Candy-coated chocolate pieces
  • Fruit leathers cut into strips

Related Articles

References

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Make_Wicked_Cupcakes&oldid=359187"