It's a Monster Bash! Pull out all the stops and get ready for some creativity! These crazy creatures are on the fun side of "spooky" and are sure to delight your guests. Make your favorite cupcake recipe, box mix, or use our chocolate cupcake recipe. Then whip up our buttercream frosting recipe and get ready to do some decorating with our Halloween cupcakes - monsters!
Make the cake!
These chocolatey cupcakes are moist and flavorful. You can make the recipe into a full-sized cake in a 9 x 13-inch pan or into 24 cupcakes. See the recipe below. If you'd like to use vanilla cake, try our vanilla cupcake/cake recipe in the Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes post.
Mix the buttercream frosting
Top the cupcakes with our buttercream frosting. To color the icing we used violet and green paste food coloring; you could also use gel food colors.
How to decorate monster cupcakes
Choose some wild shades for your monsters, then color buttercream frosting with paste or gel food color. For the google eyed monsters (top of first picture), we simply used the Wilton coupler base inserted in a pastry bag to give us a medium sized round opening. We piped the frosting in puffs, then added toothpicks adorned with mini marshmallows, a dab of frosting and candy eyes.
For the additional monsters, we used a Wilton #18 open star tip. You could actually use any size star tip to decorate.
- Simply drop the star tip into your pastry bag, then fill the pastry bag with your desired frosting (see our buttercream recipe below) and roll down the top of your pastry bag.
- Hold the rolled down portion of your bag in one hand while exerting light pressure, and use your other, dominant hand, as a guide.
- Squirt the frosting out of the bag into a star, then stop pushing and quickly pull up to give a little peak.
- Pipe stars over the cupcake surface until it's covered.
Creating monster faces
Let your imagination run wild as you think of the faces to give your monster gang! It's so easy to use Airheads to mold all types of features. Stretch the candy so it's thinner to cut out circles for eyes. Roll thin ropes for mouths, scars, eyebrows ... you get the idea! We used airhead circles topped with candy eyes; it's almost like working with fondant. You get great colors and an economical medium.
Let the kids get involved this holiday season and see who can make the craziest monster -- Happy Halloween!
Enjoy!
Dianna
Chocolate Cupcakes & Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For Chocolate Cupcakes/ Cake
- 1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 ¾ cup sifted flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
For Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional--the added flavor is really good
- 8- cups sifted confectioner’s powdered sugar
- ½ cup milk
For Decor
- violet green and any other color you'd like of paste food color, or liquid gel color
- thin red licorice
- assorted colored Air Heads
- candy eyes
Instructions
For Chocolate Cupcakes/Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine cocoa with boiling water in medium bowl, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely.
- Sift flour with baking soda, salt and baking powder, set aside.
- Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl.With electric mixer at high speed, mix until light (about 5 minutes). At low speed, beat in small amounts of flour, alternating with cocoa mixture. Don’t over beat.
- Insert paper liners in 24 muffin cups. Fill each cup ½ full of cake batter. Bake 17 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
For Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla & almond.
- Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry
- Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.
To Create Monsters:
- Choose some wild shades for your monsters, then color buttercream frosting with paste or gel food color.
- For the google eyed monsters, we simply used the Wilton coupler base inserted in a pastry bag to give us a medium sized round opening. We piped the frosting in puffs, then added toothpicks adorned with mini marshmallows, a dab of frosting and candy eyes.
- For the additional monsters, we used a Wilton #18 open star tip. You could actually use any size star tip to decorate.
- Simply drop the star tip into your pastry bag, then fill the pastry bag with your desired frosting (see our buttercream recipe below) and roll down the top of your pastry bag. Hold the rolled down portion of your bag in one hand while exerting light pressure, and use your other, dominant hand, as a guide. Squirt the frosting out of the bag into a star, then stop pushing and quickly pull up to give a little peak. Pipe stars over the cupcake surface until it's covered.
Creating monster faces
Let your imagination run wild as you think of the faces to give your monster gang! It's so easy to use Airheads to mold all types of features.- Stretch the candy so it's thinner to cut out circles for eyes. Roll thin ropes for mouths, scars, eyebrows ... you get the idea!
- •We used airhead circles topped with candy eyes; it's almost like working with fondant. You get great colors and an economical medium.
Sherri
Adorable!!