I adore these Halloween Ghost Cupcakes! The recipe features a homemade yet tender vanilla cupcake topped with a homemade, rich frosting infused with notes of pumpkin spice, perfect for fall. They are decorated to look spooky yet feature details such as ghostly decorations, mouths, and eyes, as well as the piping of the frosting.
What I love most about these cupcakes is their simplicity. If you want, you can skip the decorations, pipe the frosting in a different pattern, and turn it into a completely new treat with the same flavor profile. The texture of these ghost face cupcakes is what makes them truly a winner!
More Halloween desserts you should try are Halloween brownies and mummy cherry pies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's 2 recipes in one: I love homemade cake and cupcake recipes because it's like getting two recipes in one!
- There's no inactive time: You don't have to chill the batter or the frosting before you use it. All the components are ready to use after they're made and baked.
- It's easy to make: It's simpler than it seems! Just mostly measuring and mixing. If you follow the steps, you'll have successful Halloween ghost cupcakes.
Ingredients
The essential ingredients needed for the ghost cupcakes and the homemade frosting are listed below. They are very easy to find at any grocery store!
- Hot water: I use some hot water in the cupcake batter and in the frosting. For the cupcakes, it helps with leavening, resulting in a more moist and tender cupcake. For the frosting, the hot water helps to stabilize it and keep it smooth.
- Butter: The butter must be softened to make a creamy frosting. I recommend unsalted because I add a pinch of salt. If you only have salted butter, omit the extra salt.
- Vegetable shortening: I like to use this in the frosting because it doesn't add any flavor, so the pumpkin spice can shine through. Plus, it helps the frosting hold up in a warmer environment, so you don't have to worry about keeping them cold at a party.
- Decorations: These adorable ghost Halloween cupcakes are very simple. I use a dark chocolate chip for the mouth and candy eyes for the eyes. Pipe the icing in a swirl, and it will look like a spooky ghost.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Bloody ghosts: Fill the cupcake with strawberry or raspberry jam to make it look like blood oozing when you bite into it.
- Maple ghosts: Swap the vanilla in the cupcake and frosting for maple extract to lean into the fall flavors even more.
- Cookies and cream ghosts: Fold crushed Oreos into the cake batter for a cookies and cream version.
How to Make Ghost Cupcakes
Here are the instructions on how to make these ghost Halloween cupcakes. Start by preheating your oven to 325°F and adding the liners to the cupcake tin.
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Add all of your dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk them until they are well combined.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Next, pour the vanilla into the hot water. Then, add all of your wet ingredients to the dry mixture, including the water and vanilla.
Step 3: Scoop the batter and bake. Once the batter is nice and smooth, scoop it into the cupcake liners and fill them between ½ and ⅔. Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. Then, set the cupcakes aside to cool.
Step 4: Whip the butter and shortening. Add the butter and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip them until they are perfectly light and fluffy.
Step 5: Add half of the powdered sugar. Then, pour in half of the powdered sugar and mix that as well.
Step 6: Pour in the hot water mixture and the remaining sugar. Combine the remaining hot water and vanilla. Then, pour it into the butter mixture along with the remaining powdered sugar, salt, and pumpkin spice, and continue to whip it until it's creamy.
Step 7: Pipe the frosting. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag and pipe it by swirling it as shown.
Step 8: Decorate and serve. Finish them with two candy eyes and a chocolate chip with the flat side out for the mouth. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (if needed) to firm up the frosting a bit before you serve them!
Recipe Tips
- Use festive cupcake liners: Try some fun Halloween liners like cobwebs or pumpkins to make these treats even more exciting.
- Fill the liners evenly: Ensure that you fill all the cupcake liners evenly so they all bake at the same rate.
- Chill the frosting if needed: If you find that the frosting is a little thin, place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes, and then it will be ready to use.
- Storing: Store your cupcakes at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze the cupcakes without the frosting for up to 3 months.
If you love a good spooky cupcake, you should also try these monster cupcakes. Our strawberry chocolate cupcakes are worth checking out too.
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy some fun little snacks like churro popcorn, halloween chex mix and pretzel cookies, and serve these ghost cupcakes as dessert for a party.
- Some more spooky foods you can serve are candy corn fudge and jalapeno popper mummies!
- Want to really wow guests? Include an adult beverage like this freaky yet tasty alien brain hemorrhage shot.
Recipe FAQs
If you overmix the cupcake batter, it can make the cupcakes tough and dense. Only mix it until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.
You may scoop the frosting into a large Ziploc bag and snip off one of the corners. This makes a great homemade "piping bag" in a pinch.
I don't recommend it. As it thaws, it can become watery and soggy.
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes
Do you like cupcake recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Ghost Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12 or 24 hole pan
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- large round piping tip or large resealable bag with corner cut off
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups softened butter
- 2 cups vegetable shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons extremely hot water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Decorations
- Piping bag or resealable bag
- Dark chocolate chips 1 per cupcake
- Candy Eyes 2 per cupcake
- Cobweb Cupcake wrappers Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Fill a regular sized cupcake tin with plain white cupcake liners, set aside.
- In a large bowl, add in all of the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Pour the vanilla into the hot water.
- Add the oil, milk, and eggs and water/vanilla mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until everything is combined.
- Use a measuring cup or spoon to scoop batter into each of the lined cupcake cavities. Only fill each cavity approximately ½ - ⅔ the way full.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Check to see if they are cooked all the way through by inserting a toothpick into one of the cupcakes, if the toothpick pulls out without any raw batter (a few crumbs are OK) then the cakes are done.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the spiced vanilla frosting.
Spiced Vanilla Frosting
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter and vegetable shortening until light and fluffy.
- While the butter is whipping, add the pumpkin spice, vanilla, and salt to the extremely hot water. Let this sit for 2-3 minutes.
- When the butter has been whipped, add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on medium speed.
- While it is mixing, stream in the water mixture.
- Once combined, mix in the remaining powdered sugar.
- Whip until all is combined and light and fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip. Or you can use a resealable bag and snip off one of the bottom corners.
- If the frosting is too soft to pipe, put in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to cool down.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the frosting onto each cupcake as seen in pictures.
- Place one of the chocolate chips, pointy side in - flat side out, onto the frosting where you want the mouth of the ghost to be.
- Then place the eyes above the mouth. Point the eyes in various directions to get different personalities!
- Set finished cupcakes in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting set up.
- Optional, add a fun cobweb cupcake sleeve for a cute finishing touch!
- Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days inside your fridge.
Notes
- You may keep extra ghost cupcakes at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Use a Ziploc bag if you don't have a piping bag.
- Ensure that you fill the cupcake liners evenly so that they all bake evenly as well.
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