Description
Delight in these festive Pumpkin Spice Pudding Halloween Cupcakes featuring moist pumpkin-spiced cake baked to perfection, topped with a glossy black candy coating, colorful sprinkles, and charming yellow candy ‘moons’ on lollipop sticks, perfect for Halloween celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (3.4 ounce) pumpkin spice pudding mix
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup apple cider
Decorations
- Black candy melts (quantity as needed to dip cupcakes)
- Yellow candy melts (quantity as needed for moons)
- Yellow sugar sprinkles (for moon decoration)
- Colored sugar sprinkles (for cupcake coating)
- Small lollipop sticks or cupcake picks
Instructions
- Prepare Cupcake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 24 cupcake wells with cupcake liners to prevent sticking. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and pumpkin spice pudding mix until evenly combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the vegetable oil, eggs, and apple cider to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until the batter is well combined and creamy in texture, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Fill and Bake Cupcakes: Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Create Candy Moons: Use a biscuit cutter or similar circular cutter to trace moon shapes onto parchment paper. Place the parchment paper, tracing side down, on a cookie sheet and secure with tape. Melt the yellow candy melts until smooth. Transfer the melted candy into a squeeze bottle or a zip-top bag with a small corner cut off for piping. Trace the moon shapes first, then fill them in with the yellow candy. To enhance texture and cover any unevenness, sprinkle yellow sugar sprinkles over the wet candy. Freeze for 10 minutes to harden. Once set, shake off excess sugar sprinkles.
- Attach Lollipop Sticks to Moons: Turn the frozen moons over on the cookie sheet. Dip small lollipop sticks in melted yellow candy and place them carefully in the center on the backside of each moon. Return to the freezer for another 10 minutes to set firmly.
- Decorate Cupcakes: Melt black candy melts until smooth. Dip the cooled cupcakes’ tops into the melted black candy and immediately cover them with colored sugar sprinkles. Before the candy hardens, press the prepared candy moon onto each cupcake and add a cat-themed cupcake pick or similar decoration to complete the festive look.
Notes
- VERY IMPORTANT: Add the candy moon immediately after dipping the cupcake top in melted black candy and adding sprinkles. If you wait too long, the candy will harden, making it impossible to attach the moon.
- You can substitute apple cider with pumpkin puree for a slightly different flavor and texture.
- Ensure the candy melts are fully melted and smooth to achieve a neat coating.
- Use a wire rack to cool cupcakes evenly and prevent sogginess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
