Trick + Treat Cupcakes
I love horror movies. My earliest memory is watching Freddie Krueger when I was three years old, all cosy in front of the fire, next to my dad and my sister. I guess that kicked off my obsession with all things spooky and adrenaline inducing! Horror movies and Halloween go hand in hand and if there’s a third hand involved then that hand would have to be full of sugar, sweets/treats/candy!
I wanted to make something festive, irresistibly delicious and easy enough to be kid friendly if so desired.
Good news is each element of these cupcakes come together very easy and you only need an electric whisk for the frosting! The cupcake base is super chocolatey and moist, I’ve adapted it from my chocolate cake recipe. The center is a white chocolate ganache and the whole thing is topped off with a delicious white chocolate buttercream frosting. A little food colouring goes a long way in helping give these cupcakes that spooky spirit!
TRICK + TREAT CUPCAKES
recipe
⏲ PREP TIME: 50 minutes
⏲ BAKING TIME: 20 minutes
⏲ RESTING TIME: 20 minutes
🧁 SERVINGS: 28 cupcakes
EQUIPMENT
2 large mixing bowls
2 small bowls
whisk
spatula
stand mixer/ electric whisk
cupcake tins
cupcake liners
piping bag and nozzle
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Cupcakes
240 grams all purpose flour
50 grams 100% cacao powder (Hershey’s unsweetened)
14 grams Cadbury drinking chocolate powder
1 pack chocolate pudding mix (I always use Godiva)
10g/ 2 tsp cornstarch
10 grams/ 2 tsp baking powder
2.5 grams/ 1/4 tsp baking soda
320 grams granulated sugar
80 grams light brown sugar
2.5 grams/ 1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
140 mls vegetable oil
200 mls coffee
30 mls whole milk (any milk you prefer)
1 tbsp/ 15 mls vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache Filling
300 grams white chocolate chips
100 mls coconut milk
1 tsp/ 5 mls vanilla extract
purple + orange food colouring/ gel
White Chocolate Frosting
122 grams/ 1 stick unsalted butter
225 grams/ 2 sticks vegetable shortening
500 grams powdered sugar (icing sugar)
100 grams granulated sugar
100 grams white chocolate chips
2 tbsp/ 30 mls heavy cream
1 tsp/ 5 grams vanilla extract
green food colouring/ gel
INSTRUCTIONS
Ganache Filling
1.
Put coconut milk in a heat proof bowl in the microwave for 30-120 seconds until hot.
2.
Split white chocolate chips into two bowls of 150 grams.Add half the coconut milk to each bowl and cover loosely for 5 minutes.
3.
Stir together until smooth and thick. If the chips haven’t melted fully then put into the microwave for 30 seconds and mix through.
4.
At this point you can add your food colouring. I added orange to one and purple to the other.
5.
Cover both bowls and put into the fridge to firm up for at least an hour. I like to do mine the night before but before you start your cupcakes will work fine.
Chocolate Cupcakes
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F, 180°C.
Place cupcake liners in your tins.
2.
Sieve all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix through.
3.
Add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth!
4.
Add one heaped tablespoon of batter to each cupcake liner so it’s about 3/4 full. Try not to overfill.
5.
Put into the oven for 17-20 minutes until the tops spring back and a cocktail stick comes out clean.
6.
Let the cupcakes cool in their tins for 10-15 minutes and put out onto a cooling rack.
7.
With a knife cut out the center of each cupcake.
8.
Add half a teaspoon of ganache to the center of each cupcake, alternating the orange and purple.
White Chocolate Frosting
1.
Melt chocolate and cream in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, add vanilla extract and mix through.
This won’t take long. Set aside to cool.
2.
Put room temperature butter and vegetable shortening into stand mixer and beat with paddle on medium until pale, light and fluffy.
3.
Put granulated sugar through blender under almost like powder but still a little gritty. Add to butter with the powdered sugar, a bit at a time and beat on medium until thick and creamy.
Alternatively, use all powdered sugar (confectioners).
4.
Add your white chocolate mix and green food colouring until thoroughly combined.
5.
Add frosting to piping bag with a tip of your choice, personal preference, and frost your cupcakes.
6.
I added mini spiders to the cupcakes to give them that extra Halloween edge.
Bácáil Sona!! 👩🏻🍳
NOTES
These tasted 100% better the next day once all the layers and flavours had some time to marry together. You’ll have leftover ganache so I mixed it with the cupcake middles and devoured it, I highly recommend this!!