Author: dogeared

We promised you more Halloween treats, and we’re so excited to share these adorable cupcakes by Dear Liza’s! Having a Halloween party? Thankfully she put together some easy-to-follow instructions for us all to try:

I know making cupcakes from scratch can be a little time consuming, so for these fun Halloween cupcakes I would suggest a box mix. My favorite is Betty Crocker “Yellow Cake Mix” (not the one using butter).

If you are feeling ambitious I highly recommend this recipe from Martha Stewart. I always add 1-2 cups of mini chocolate chips to my cupcakes. Any of these can be done in mini size as well. Store covered in the refrigerator to keep fresh.

I like to make my own vanilla buttercream frosting, but if you’d like you can use store-bought frosting. For homemade buttercream frosting recipe and instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Mummy Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

Cupcake liners
Candy eyes
Petal piping tip (Wilton #103/104) – you can find this tip at most grocery or crafting stores
Piping bag (can also use a Ziploc bag – drop tip into bottom corner and cut a small piece off the end of the bag)

Using a butter knife or angled spatula, frost cupcakes with a thin layer of white buttercream frosting.

Drop the piping tip into piping bag and cut a small piece off the bottom, just enough for the narrow part of the tip to come out. Fill bag with frosting.

Place 2 candy eyes in the middle (frosting will act as glue). Using the piping bag, start on one side and lightly squeeze to create a strip across the cupcake.

Crisscross and overlap strips until entire cupcake is covered. Plate and serve!

Owl Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

Cupcake liners
Giant candy eyes
Candy corns
Vanilla frosting Chocolate frosting
Piping bags (can also use a Ziploc bag by cutting small piece off the bottom corner) Instructions

Start by preparing the candy corns to use for the beak and feet. Cut the yellow base off of the candy corn to create the beak. Split the remaining yellow piece in half to create 2 feet. Set aside in a small bowl for later.

Cut the tops of the cupcakes off so you have a flat surface.

Using a butter knife or angled spatula cover ¾ of the cupcake with chocolate frosting, leaving a ¼ pie shape unfrosted. Fill a piping bag with chocolate frosting and cut a small piece off the bottom. Create 2 small ears on each side by squeezing and pulling straight up. Fill a separate piping bag with vanilla frosting and cut a small piece off the bottom. Fill in the unfrosted area by lightly squeezing and pulling up to create white dots until fully covered.

Place 2 giant eyes on the chocolate section. Using the candy corns, place the beak and 2 feet on. Plate and serve!

Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients: 

1 stick of butter (softened at room temperature)
12 oz./1.5 cups solid vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar (sifted)
1-2 tablespoons milk
Pinch of salt

Using a large bowl, mix the shortening and butter with an electric mixer until blended together and creamy. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Gradually add the sugar into the mixture, on medium (be careful not to add too much sugar at a time or else it will overflow and fly everywhere). Occasionally stop to scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix until all the sugar is incorporated. Add a pinch of salt to give it just a hint of saltiness (if you desire). Add 1 tablespoon of milk. If the mixture is too dry, add more milk. If it is too runny, add more confectioners’ sugar. Keep bowl covered and chilled until ready to use. Frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

For order info & more homemade desserts, follow @dearlizas on Instagram.