Description
These Halloween Cauldron Cupcakes feature rich red velvet cupcakes topped with a vibrant swirl of orange and yellow buttercream frosting resembling flames. Mini peanut butter cups, decorated with green frosting to look like bubbling cauldrons, sit atop each cupcake, finished with delicate melted chocolate drizzles for added spooky detail. Perfect for festive gatherings, these cupcakes combine classic flavors with playful decoration to bring Halloween magic to your dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 24 Red Velvet Cupcakes (see note for recipe)
Buttercream Frosting
- 2 ½ cups Buttercream Frosting (divided)
- Orange food coloring (to tint frosting)
- Yellow food coloring (to tint frosting)
- Green food coloring (to tint frosting)
Decorations
- 24 Miniature peanut butter cups (if making mini cupcakes, approximately 70 mini peanut butter cups needed)
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
- Bake the Cupcakes: Prepare the red velvet cupcakes according to your favorite recipe or the note provided, then allow them to cool completely.
- Prepare the Frosting: Make buttercream frosting and portion out 1 cup, setting it aside. Divide the remaining frosting in half, tint one half yellow and the other half orange. Tint the reserved 1 cup of frosting green.
- Fill Piping Bag with Flame Colors: Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and spoon yellow frosting onto one side of the bag and orange frosting onto the other side. This creates a swirl effect to resemble flames.
- Pipe Flame Swirls: Pipe a swirl of the orange and yellow frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Set the frosted cupcakes aside for the next step.
- Decorate Peanut Butter Cups: Fit another piping bag with a medium round tip or use a zip-top bag with a snipped corner. Fill with the green frosting and pipe a small amount onto the top of each miniature peanut butter cup to create a bubbling cauldron effect.
- Place Peanut Butter Cups on Cupcakes: Gently place one decorated peanut butter cup onto the top of each frosted cupcake.
- Melt Chocolate: Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 25-second increments, stirring after each interval until smooth and fully melted.
- Create Chocolate Decorations: Transfer the melted chocolate into a small zip-top bag and snip a tiny corner. Line a counter or baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe small 1-inch lines of chocolate. Allow the lines to set and harden completely.
- Assemble with Chocolate Spoons: Carefully peel the chocolate lines off the parchment paper and gently place one into each peanut butter cup on the cupcakes to complete the cauldron look.
Notes
- These adorable Halloween cupcakes are simple to decorate yet impressively festive, featuring little bubbling peanut butter cup ‘cauldrons’ perched atop a swirling orange flame of buttercream.
- If you prefer mini cupcakes, increase the peanut butter cups to approximately 70 minis to match quantity.
- For best results, ensure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- The chocolate decorations can be made ahead and stored in a cool place until use.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
