5 DIY Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween is just days away! What projects are you still working on? I know things get all crazy in the days right before a holiday and then I remember at the last minute that I volunteered to bring cupcakes….always happens. So! I’ve put together 5 awesome ways to decorate your Halloween cupcakes that anyone can do in a pinch!

Jump to:

• Cupcake Recipes
• Frosting Recipes
• Mummy Cupcakes
•  Easy Decorative Paper-Topped Cupcakes
• Candy Corn Cupcakes
• Ghost Cupcakes
• Spiderweb Cupcakes
• More Halloween Favorites

Start with your favorite cupcake and frosting recipe. If you want to use store bought cupcakes or a can of frosting, that’s just fine! Otherwise here are some of my favorite recipes to make your own.

Cupcake Recipes

• Chocolate Cupcakes
• White Cupcakes
• Salted Caramel Cupcakes
• Brownie Cupcakes
• Churro Cupcakes
• Nutella Cupcakes

Frosting Recipes

• Dark Chocolate Buttercream
• Easy Strawberry Frosting
• Glossy White Mountain Frosting
• Cream Cheese Buttercream
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Italian Meringue Buttercream

Mummy Cupcakes

Supplies: White Decorator Icing (or desired base color – it will peek through the mummy strips) “Wilton “Mummy” Cupcake Decorating Kit kitchen scissors Instructions:  These cupcakes are so easy to make! Spread a layer of icing over the top of your cupcake – no need for it to be neat or smooth. Use kitchen scissors to cut strips of sugar-dusted fondant (“mummy strips”) and place in semi-straight lines over the top of the cupcake. The kit has the strips rolled into sections that each cover one cupcake, so it makes it really simple! Lay a strip or two at an angle across the cupcake. Place two small dots of icing in the desired place for the eyes (also included in the kit). Gently press the candy eyes on top of the icing. Presto!

 Easy Decorative Paper-Topped Cupcakes

Supplies: Frosting – any kind Edible Decorating Paper (Sugar Sheets) Decorative Toothpicks/Cupcake Wrappers (optional) Instructions:  These Sugar Sheets from Wilton couldn’t be easier to use. Spread a nice layer of frosting on top of your cupcake. Cut a shape out of the sugar sheet and plunk it on top. I cut simple circles (and used my scrapbooking circle cutters to do it). The sheet cuts easily with a knife and is pretty soft, flexible, and thin. I think you could even use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Add a decorative toothpick to the center or leave them as is! There are tons of Sugar Sheets in various patterns and colors at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores and they’re only a few dollars per sheet – I bought this houndstooth print at the Wilton store when I was there in the spring, so I’m not sure about the availability of this specific pattern, but there’s a nice damask and zebra in black and white available at Jo-Ann online.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Supplies: Decorator Icing Orange and Yellow Gel Food Coloring Candy Corns Piping Bag and large coupler set Tip #1M Instructions: Use for coloring to tint icing yellow and orange. Place into plastic Ziploc baggies. When ready to use, snip the corner off the bottom of the baggy and place inside piping bag with open corner pushed down into the tip. Using tip #1M, pipe two swirls around the cupcake of each color, yellow, then orange, then white. Top with a candy corn. Please note:  These make quite the top-heavy, yet excitement-inducing cupcake. You can use a smaller tip for smaller icing mounds. Also, make your swirls just inside the top of the cupcake and then decrease the diameter of each subsequent swirl to decrease the risk of the icing spilling over the edges of the cupcake once it’s done.

Ghost Cupcakes

Supplies: Decorator Icing in white Pre-Colored Black Decorator Icing Piping Bag and couplers Tip #2A (uses the large coupler set) Tip #2 (uses the small coupler set) Instructions:  With Tip #2A, pipe two stacked swirls of white icing (the second swirl a bit smaller than the first) on the top of the cupcake. Hold the tip vertically and squeeze a pool of frosting on the top center, keeping the tip close to the base – as you release pressure on the piping bag, quickly lift the tip straight up to make a point. Attach Tip #2 directly onto the black icing container and pipe two eyes and a mouth.

Spiderweb Cupcakes

  Supplies: White Frosting Pre-Colored Black Decorator Icing Tip #2 (uses the small coupler set) toothpick spider rings (optional) Instructions:Use a knife or spatula to frost a smooth flat top on the cupcakes with white icing (you could use colored frosting, too). With the small tip #2 attached to the black icing tube, pipe a center dot and then 3-4 rings around the top of the cupcake – like a bullseye. Using a toothpick to drag the black icing from the center dot out to the edge. Repeat the dragging motion in equal segments around the cupcake – about 6-8 segments – kind of like slicing a pie. Top with a toy spider/spider ring! One more thing:  I usually like to make my own frosting, but sometimes that extra step is just the final straw in running out of time to make something special. For these cupcakes, I used this pre-made frosting that is available at Jo-Ann. It’s made my Wilton and you know what? It actually tastes pretty darn good! It’s great for coloring and piping. And if you use a coupon, you’ll probably spend less than buying the butter and eggs to make a couple batches of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my personal favorite, though kids probably prefer this type of icing). Just wanted to give you my two cents on this stuff because I’ve been wondering about it for a good long while!