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Halloween Devil's Food Cupcakes

Vintage recipe for Devil's Food Cake Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting- a historical Halloween holiday dessert tradition.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 312 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Devil's Food Cupcake Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups sifted white cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, divided
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature, well beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Orange Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla, coconut, or orange flavoring extract (I like to use a combination of vanilla and coconut with these cupcakes)
  • 1-4 tablespoons milk
  • red and yellow food coloring

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift the mixture again three more times. Reserve.
  2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt it in a double boiler or in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, till the chocolate is smooth. Whisk in ½ cup sugar and ½ cup buttermilk till they are melted and well blended into the chocolate. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar for several minutes till light, fluffy, and no longer grainy looking. Note: it's very important that the butter is at room temperature, or it won't cream properly.
  4. Beat in the eggs.
  5. Beat in a quarter of the flour mixture along with all of the melted chocolate mixture.
  6. Add the remaining flour mixture and 1 cup of buttermilk to the batter alternately in small amounts, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
  7. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners. Fill each liner about 2/3 full with batter (don’t fill them too high or they will overflow).
  8. Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, until the center of the cupcakes spring back when they’re pressed gently. Don’t bake them too long or the tops will become tough. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin slightly, then remove and continue cooling on a wire rack.
  9. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Sift together 3 cups of powdered sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Don't skip the sifting, if you do your frosting will turn out chunky.
  10. Add 1 cup room temperature butter to the mixing bowl. Beat the butter into the sugar, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium, till the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter.
  11. Beat in the flavoring, then add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, till the desired consistency is reached. A little liquid goes a long way, so add milk with care. For frosting cupcakes, you'll want a consistency somewhere between soft and stiff-- a medium texture, which will work well both for spreading with a knife, and for using a decorating tip. Adjust the texture by adding more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting and stiffen it, or more milk to thin out the frosting and make it softer.
  12. Color the frosting by adding equal amounts of red and yellow food coloring. Use a few drops for a light orange frosting, or several drops for a more vibrant color. Adjust the color by adding more red or yellow till it looks right to your eye.
  13. Decorate the cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting after the cupcakes have completely cooled. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator, take them out 15-20 minutes before serving to let the frosting soften a bit.
  14. Note: the frosting recipe above will provide enough frosting for using a knife to spread on 24 cupcakes. If you are using a decorating tip or a more advanced frosting technique like the florets pictured here, I recommend doubling the amount of frosting to ensure that you have enough for decorating all the cupcakes.

Nutrition Information

Calories 312kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 42g (14%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 55mg (18%) Sodium 140mg (6%) Potassium 109mg (3%) Sugar 31g (62%) Vitamin A 415IU (8%) Calcium 44mg (4%) Iron 0.8mg (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 24servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 312

% Daily Value*

Calories 312kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 140mg 6%
Potassium 109mg 2%
Sugar 31g 62%
Vitamin A 415IU 8%
Calcium 44mg 4%
Iron 0.8mg 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.