Sugar Skull Cupcakes

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Delicious homemade vanilla cupcakes topped with neon swirl vanilla buttercream and candy sugar skulls make tasty Sugar Skull Cupcakes for The Day of the Dead.

Halloween is almost here and after Halloween comes the Day of the Dead.   Sugar Skulls are often associated with the Day of the Dead but I never knew why until I did a little research.

what is the day of the dead?

The Day of the Dead is also called Día de los Muertos in Spanish.  It is a traditional Mexican holiday that focuses on remembering and celebrating loved ones that have passed away. It is typically observed on November 1st and 2nd which coincide with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. It is a festive and colorful celebration of life and death. It is believed that during this time, the souls of the deceased return to the world of the living to be reunited with their families and friends. 

Can I use a box cake mix?

You can use a vanilla cake mix in this recipe if you are in a hurry.  My suggestion to make it taste more homemade is to substitute butter for the oil, use milk in place of the water, and add an additional egg.   Trust me on this, it’ll taste better than a traditional boxed cupcake.

After the cupcake batter is ready fill each of the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and put the cupcakes in the oven.  The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.   Cool them completely before frosting and decorating.

More cupcake recipes:

• Easy Pull Apart Pumpkin Cupcakes
• Blood Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
• Easy Frankenstein Cupcakes
• Halloween Brownie Bottom Cupcakes
• Butternut Squash Cupcakes

Once the cupcakes cooled I whipped up a batch of my homemade vanilla buttercream frosting.  Do me a favor and make the homemade frosting even if you use a box cake mix.  It’s easy to do and it’s so much better than canned frosting.

After making the frosting I divided it into four bowls and dyed each one a neon color.  Then I put two colors in each piping bag and piped the frosting on to the cupcakes.

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Sugar Skull Cupcakes for The Day of the Dead

Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Vanilla cupcakes made with Kerrygold butter then topped with neon colored buttercream frosting and Sugar Skull decorations.

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 c. Kerrygold unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 c. milk

For the frosting:

• 1 c. Kerrygold unsalted butter, softened
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. vanilla
• 2-3 T. milk
• Neon food coloring
• Sugar Skull Edible decorations

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place cupcake liners in each of 24 muffin cups. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix well. Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Add in the milk and stir until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until just blended.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the way full.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
7. To make the frosting beat the butter with a mixer. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir in the vanilla and a few tablespoons of milk.
8. Divide into 4 bowls and color with neon food coloring. Place two colors in each of two piping bags, being careful to keep one color on one side of the bag and the other on the other side of the bag. This will help the color swirl on the cupcake.
9. Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes and top with a sugar skull.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original Recipe