Here’s How to Make Halloween Spider Cupcakes

Let’s make these deliciously wicked vanilla cupcakes with creamy colourful frosting and creepy-crawly spiders. These are not only frightfully fun to make but also a devilishly delightful treat for all ages. With a web of sugary intrigue, these cupcakes are sure to spin a web of enchantment at your next Halloween gathering. So, grab your cauldron and broomstick because it’s time to brew up some sweet and sinister magic!

Why You Will Love These Spider Cupcakes

These cupcakes are the perfect canvas for your creative instincts. The rich, moist vanilla cupcakes provide a blank slate for your Halloween-themed designs. The creamy orange frosting adds a burst of vibrant colour, reminiscent of a glowing Jack-o’-lantern’s grin, and its velvety texture complements the soft cupcakes beautifully.

Decorating them with chocolate cookie spiders adds a playful and spooky touch that will delight every age. Crafting these eerie, yet adorable arachnids from cookies is a fun and engaging activity that brings out your artistic side. Plus, they add a delightful crunch and elevate the taste and presentation of the cupcakes.

Halloween Spider Cupcakes

These Halloween vanilla cupcakes are infused with a warm, comforting vanilla flavour, and their vibrant orange-coloured buttercream frosting adds a playful and seasonal twist. Topped with spooky chocolate cookie spiders. These cupcakes are sure to enchant taste buds and capture the Halloween spirit with every bite.

Tools

• 1 Mosaic Non-stick muffin Pan

• 1 Large open star tip 8B

• 1 Small round tip no 2

• 2 Decorating piping bags

Ingredients

Instructions

For vanilla cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) & line the Mosaic muffin pan with cupcake liners to prepare for baking.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or a balloon whisk, cream together the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar, until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This typically takes about 2–3 minutes.

4. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, stir in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are fully combined.

5. With the mixer on low speed or a balloon whisk, gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two parts, alternating with the heavy cream. Mix until just combined; be careful not to over-mix, as this can lead to dense cupcakes.

6. Using a scoop or spoon, evenly distribute the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. This will allow room for the cupcakes to rise as they bake.

7. Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

8. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For white chocolate buttercream:

1. Place the chopped white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it in 20-30 second increments, stirring well between each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Be careful not to overheat and burn the chocolate.

2. Allow the melted white chocolate to cool to room temperature. It should be smooth and free of lumps, but not warm to the touch.

3. Cream the butter for 2–3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the creamed butter. Start the mixer at a low speed to avoid sugar clouds, then increase the speed to medium or use a balloon whisk. Continue to mix until the sugar is fully incorporated, and the mixture is light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix it in.

4. With the mixer on low speed or with a balloon whisk, pour in the cooled melted white chocolate. Mix until the chocolate is fully combined with the butter and sugar, and the frosting becomes smooth and creamy.

5. Reserve two tablespoons of buttercream in a small bowl, add a few drops of black gel food colouring, and mix until all buttercream is well combined with black food colouring. Add more drops of black food colouring if needed.

6. Take the rest of the buttercream and add a few drops of orange gel food colouring. Mix well until the food colouring is well combined. Add more orange gel food colouring if needed.

To assemble and decorate:

1. Prepare a piping bag with a large open star tip (Wilton 8B) and fill it with orange-coloured buttercream, secure the bag. Prepare the same way the black coloured buttercream, but with a small round tip (Wilton no. 2), secure the bag, and set it aside.

2. Place the cookies and eye candies on a small plate. Set aside.

3. Take the cooled vanilla cupcakes and start piping, with a round motion, the orange coloured buttercream. Two layers of buttercream are needed to fill well the surface of the cupcake.

4. With the black buttercream, pipe the spider's legs on the side of the orange buttercream. Place the cookie right in the middle of the orange buttercream.

5. Take more of the black buttercream and pipe two small dots of buttercream on the cookie to glue the eye candies.

Variations For Halloween Cupcakes

Red Velvet Spider Cupcakes: Transform your classic vanilla cupcakes into eerie red velvet cupcakes by adding red food colouring to the batter. Top them with black or dark chocolate spider decorations to create a striking contrast.

Pumpkin Spice Spider Cupcakes: Add a seasonal twist by incorporating pumpkin spice into your vanilla cupcake batter. Decorate them with orange-tinted cream cheese frosting and black licorice legs to create adorable pumpkin-inspired spider cupcakes.

Chocolate Spiderweb Cupcakes: Replace the vanilla cupcakes with rich chocolate cupcakes and top them with white or cream-coloured buttercream. Use black gel food colouring to create intricate spiderweb designs on the frosting for a spooky effect.

Glow-in-the-Dark Spider Cupcakes: Add a fun and eerie twist by using glow-in-the-dark food colouring for the cupcake batter and frosting. When the lights go out, these cupcakes will emit an otherworldly glow, making them the center of attention at your Halloween party.

Double Chocolate Spider Cupcakes: Make ultra-chocolatey cupcakes by adding cocoa powder to the vanilla cupcake batter. Top them with a dark chocolate ganache, and create spiders using chocolate-covered pretzels as the legs and M&M candies for the bodies.