Ghostly Halloween Cupcakes

by Jilly McCord.

If you are looking for a fun Halloween treat for the children (OK – adults too!) in your life, try these Ghostly Halloween Cupcakes for a visual pleasing and delicious (trick and) treat! The chocolate cupcake is really moist, and the marshmallow topping is light and fluffy. They can then be decorated to create lots of different ghost characters.

Difficulty Medium

Tim: 20 minutes prep; 20 minutes cooking time; 20 minutes cooling time

Serves: 12 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

• 200g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 50g chocolate chips
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
• 200ml vegetable oil
• 150g natural yoghurt

For the Marshmallow Topping:

• 2 egg whites
• 100g caster sugar
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• For the Decoration:
• Cake decorating eyes (available in most supermarkets)
• Black icing pen

1. Heat the oven to 180C, or 170C for a fan oven. Prepare 12 tin muffin tin and line with cupcake cases.
2. In a large bowl mix all the sugar and oil. Beat until combined and a little paler. (I used an electric hand whisk for this)
3. One by one, crack the eggs and continue beating until combined. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add half to the wet mixture and beat. Then add the natural yoghurt and mix.
5. Add the remaining dry ingredients and combine, then add the chocolate chips.
6. Divide between the 12 cases and place in the oven to cook for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and leave to cool.
8. Once the cakes are cool, you can begin to make the marshmallow topping. Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a bowl and sit over a pan of simmering water (do not let the water touch the pan)
9. Use an electric whisk to whisk over the pan for 4-5 minutes until the sugar completely dissolved and the egg whites fluffy and a little warm.
10. Now remove from the heat and continue to whisk for a further 2-3 minutes so that icing is rich and glossy.
11. Place in a piping bag and do your best to create a ghost type shape on top of each cupcake. (I had a few disasters before perfecting my technique, so be prepared to play around a bit. It would be fun to get the kids to help with this bit!).
12. When you are happy with the ghost shapes, now decorate as you wish!

I served on my trusty  Cole & Mason UK | Acacia Wooden Chopping & Serving Board (coleandmason.com) and created a bit of a display with some seasonal pumpkins and foliage.

Top tip: make sure you look in the mirror after eating – that frosting gets everywhere!