Hocus Pocus Cupcakes #HalloweenTreatsWeek

This post and recipe was created for #HalloweenTreatsWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

Sometimes I have a great idea for a cupcake in my head but when I go to execute my idea it doesn't turn out the way I was hoping.  That was the case with these Hocus Pocus Cupcakes.   I had several ideas in my head but when I went to look for the ingredients it turned out I didn't have everything I needed.  I ended up changing my idea several times including as I was decorating the cupcakes.

The cupcake is just a basic vanilla cupcake.   I used Adams Best Vanilla Flavor to give the cupcakes a rich vanilla flavor.   I put them in black cupcake liners to symbolize witches cauldron's since these are Hocus Pocus Cupcakes.  After the cupcakes came out is when I started having some second thoughts and put plan B into action.

I originally was just going to decorate the tops of the cupcakes but after looking at my collection of sprinkles I changed my mine.  I cut a small circle in the middle of each cupcake and popped the cake out.  Then I mixed together a combination of Wilton candy eyes, Wilton ghost candies, Sweets & Treats Monster Mash Sprinkles, and Sweets & Treats Midi Lime Green Pearls.  I poured a teaspoon of this mixture into each cupcake.   It was pretty cool because it looked like a crazy Halloween mix that was perfect for what might be in a witches cauldron. 

Next I mixed up a batch of buttercream frosting using Dixie Crystals powdered sugar.  I used Adams Extract Natural Food Coloring in green and yellow to make the frosting look like the inside of a witches brew.  Then I put more of the lime green pearls on top to look like bubbles and added a few random candy ghosts and eyeballs as well.

I actually took these cupcakes to school and gave them to my students who totally loved them!  They thought that when they bit into the cupcakes and all the sprinkles and eyeballs and ghosts fell out that it was so cool.   You could hear them laughing about it all the way down the hall!   The kids also thought they tasted really good and were super excited to get a Halloween treat at the beginning of October.

These would be a great treat to make with a kid because they could mix up the concoction for the inside of the cupcake and put the pearls and ghosts on top.   The cupcakes can be a family effort!

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Hocus Pocus Cupcakes

Print

Vanilla cupcakes filled with bats, eyeballs, witches brew bubbles, and other creepy things topped off with green frosting and green candy bubbles.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 24 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 9 minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 1 stick butter (½ cup)
• ¾ c. Dixie Crystals sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. Adams Extract Best Vanilla Flavor
• 1 ⅓ c. flour
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• ½ t. salt
• ⅓ c. milk

For the frosting:

• 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
• 4 c. Dixie Crystals powdered sugar
• 1 T. Adams Extract Best Vanilla Flavor
• 2-3 T. milk
• green food coloring

For decorating:

• Wilton candy eyes
• Wilton Halloween sprinkles
• Wilton candy ghosts
• Sweets & Treats Midi Lime Green

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.
3. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and beat until combined. Stir in the vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
5. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
6. Pour the milk into the bowl with the butter and mix until well combined.
7. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
8. Divide the mixture between the muffin cups and bake for 22-24 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Using a sharp knife cut a inch inch circle out of the top of each cupcake and pull out a bit of the cupcake. Save the top of the circle.
11. In a small dish combine half the candy eyes, half the Midi Lime Green, the Halloween sprinkles, and the ghost candies. Mix well.
12. Pour a teaspoon or 2 of the mixture into each cupcake hole and then top with the cupcake circle.
13. To make the frosting beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth.
14. Add in the powdered sugar a half cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until well combined.
15. Add the milk and vanilla and beat on high speed until desired consistency is reached.
16. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes then top with the Midi Lime Green and some of the candy eyeballs.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original recipe

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Wilton 12-Inch Disposable Cake Decorating Bags, 50-Count Pastry Bags
• 
  Wilton 46-Piece Deluxe Cake Decorating Set, Cake Decorating Supplies
• 
  Wilton Muffin Tin (2 pack)

Check out the amazing #HalloweenTreatsWeek recipes from our bloggers today!

• Pet Ghost Pudding Cups from Big Bear's Wife
• Hocus Pocus Cupcakes from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Monster Strawberry Cupcakes from 4 Sons R Us
• Chocolate Day of the Dead Cake from Pastry Chef Online
• Small Batch Pumpkin Cupcakes from Cookaholic Wife
• Bloody Red Eyed Velvet Cupcakes from Our Good Life
• Zombie Dirt Cups from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Cauldron Cupcakes from Jen Around the World
• Caramel Apple Blondies from Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats
• Candy Corn Sprinkle Cookies from Daily Dish Recipes
• Halloween Hash Snack Mix from Sweet Beginnings
• Caramel Apple Blossoms from For the Love of Food
• Hocus Pocus Cake Popsicles from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Ghostly Freakyshake from Lemon Blossoms
• Pumpkin Cheese Ball ~ Festive Halloween Cheeseboard from West Via Midwest
• Candy Corn White Russian from Sweet ReciPEAs
• Monster Pumpkin Spice Caramel Cream Cheese Dip from Katie’s Cucina
• Spiced Chocolate Monster Truffles from My Sweet Zepol
• Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies from Intelligent Domestications
• Bloody Good Cherry Chip Bundt Cake from The Baking Fairy

Happy Halloween! It's October which means it's time for Spooky Season and this year's #HalloweenTreatsWeek event! #HalloweenTreatsWeek is hosted by Angie from Big Bear's Wife & its a creepy and haunting week-long event is filled with some amazingly wicked Halloween treats, recipes and some frightfully fun giveaways.

“When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers ‘tis near Halloween.”