Halloween Cupcakes
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
I first came across these little cupcakes at the Wholefoods store in Pasadena, Los Angeles – the beauty is that your kids won’t know there’s pumpkin inside unless you tell them! They’re great served warm and just dusted with icing sugar – or iced and decorated for Halloween.
Ingredients
- plain flour 1 cup
- plain wholemeal flour 1 cup
- baking powder 2 teaspoons
- ground ginger 2 teaspoons
- ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon
- salt 1/4 teaspoon
- brown sugar 3/4 cup
- vegetable oil 1/2 cup
- eggs 2
- vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
- mashed pumpkin 1/2 cup mixed with 1/2 cup buttermilk
- softened unsalted butter 250g (2 cups), sifted
- vanilla extract 2 teaspoons mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- pure icing sugar 600g, sifted, or more if needed
- milk or cream 2 tablespoons, or more if needed
- Colouring gel or drops orange, black & purple
- Halloween sweets or candies optional
Preheat oven to 180degC. Line a mini muffin pan tin (or regular muffin tin) with cupcake liners or spray and flour the pan using cooking spray. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and buttermilk, then add to flour mixture and stir to combine. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 15 – 20 minutes for mini cupcakes (20 – 25 minutes for regular cupcakes) or until done when tested with a skewer. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to wire racks. For the Buttercream Icing: Cream together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add the milk or cream and continue beating until light and fluffy. It should be firm enough to a hold a knife upright but soft enough to be piped. Divide into three and transfer to 3 bowls. Add colouring paste or drops, a little at a time, until you have the colour you like. Use a palette knife to smooth icing over tops of cakes or spoon icing into three piping bags and pipe over tops. Decorate with sprinkles and/or Halloween-shaped sweets.