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Halloween Spider Cupcakes Recipe

Spider cupcakes are the perfect sweet treat for Halloween. The chocolate pumpkin cupcakes are deliciously moist and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting with a spider web design.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 314 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: North American

Ingredients

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: ground cloves, nutmeg, and salt
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix, which is spiced
  • ½ cup coconut sugar can sub brown sugar
  • ½ cup neutral-flavored oil like avocado, canola, or grapeseed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips
Buttercream Icing
  • ½ cup salted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 drops orange food dye see notes
Decorating
  • Edible spider cupcake toppers OR plastic spider rings
  • A toothpick

Instructions

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with liners. 
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the pumpkin and whisk to combine. If using, stir in the chocolate chips. 
  5. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners. Note: the batter will be quite thick. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. 
Buttercream Frosting
  1. In a large bowl, use electric beaters (or a stand mixer) to whip the butter for 1 minute. Add the icing sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined. (See notes)
  2. Remove a scoop (about ¼ cup) of the frosting and set it aside. You'll need it for the white spider web design. 
  3. Mix the orange food dye into the remaining frosting. 
Decorate the sider cupcakes
  1. Frost the tops of the cupcakes with the orange frosting and smooth the top as much as possible. 
  2. Place the white frosting into a piping bag with a small, round decorating tip. You can also use a plastic bag and cut one of the bottom edges to make a piping bag. 
  3. Draw a small circle in the center of the cupcake. Then draw 2 more circles so that you have three circles inside each other. (See the pictures in the post.)
  4. Immediately after drawing the circles, take a toothpick and draw a line from the smallest circle out past the largest circle. Do this 5 times around the circles to create the effect of a spiderweb. 
  5. Top each web with a store-bought edible spider or a plastic spider ring.

Notes

  • Food dye varies widely in quality and strength. You may need more to achieve the color you want. 
  • If you would like your frosting thinner, add a little extra milk. If you would like it thicker, add a little extra icing sugar. 
  • We trust that if you use plastic spider rings to decorate the cupcakes, you'll let people know to remove them before they eat the cupcake. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 cupcake Calories 314kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 38g (13%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 13g (65%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 48mg (16%) Sodium 277mg (12%) Potassium 126mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 25g (50%) Vitamin A 3458IU (69%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 23mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 314

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 cupcake
Calories 314kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 38g 13%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 277mg 12%
Potassium 126mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 25g 50%
Vitamin A 3458IU 69%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

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