¼teaspoonalmond extractoptional--the added flavor is really good
8-cupssifted confectioner’spowdered sugar
½cupmilk
violet colored paste food colorOR red & blue liquid/gel food color
tube of black frosting for spider web
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 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.6. 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 the Spider Web:
Draw three concentric circles atop your cupcake (drawing a spiral also works).
After drawing the circles, use a tooth pick to gently draw from the center circle or spiral to the edge of the cupcake. Repeat this until you have the desired look for your web.Ready-made frosting in a tube is easy to use, or make your own and pipe it through a small round hole. You can draw great circles with a plastic bag filled with icing and snipped at the corner. Try making an even bigger statement by drawing your spider web atop a full-sized cake. Then try adding multiple spiders for a true creepy-crawly feel!
Notes
NOTE 1: If you'd like a vanilla cupcake recipe, check out our vanilla cupcake recipe on our Halloween pumpkin cupcakes post.NOTE 2: Sometimes we use cakes mixes. We actually like cake mixes. Our favorite chocolate cake mix is Better Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge. We just make a couple of simple changes. We add the recommended amount(s) of oil and eggs. Then fill a liquid measuring cup to the half cup line with sour cream. Add water on top of the sour cream until it reaches the amount of water called for. Mix as directed.