Halloween Ghost Cupcakes

Halloween Ghost Cupcakes are a super cute Halloween treat that will steal the show at your Halloween party this year. You won’t believe how easy they are. I’m sharing all the keys to success for this quick and easy Halloween desserts.

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I often find myself making these ghostly treats during the spooky season, and they always bring a smile to my face (and to everyone else’s too!).

They pair perfectly with other Halloween treats like Ghost Strawberries or Witch Hat Cupcakes.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth like me, you won’t want to miss out on trying those recipes as well!

Why I Love This Recipe

This recipe is not only fun and engaging to make, but it also offers a delightful creative outlet, especially when it comes to decorating the little ghost faces.

The combination of rich chocolate cake with fluffy white frosting creates a mouthwatering contrast that is irresistible.

Plus, they’re simple enough that even novice bakers can create something impressive to share!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Each ingredient in this recipe plays a special role in creating those fantastic flavors and textures:

• Devil’s Food cake mix: This mix provides a rich chocolate base that everyone loves! You can substitute it with any chocolate cake mix you prefer, or even try a homemade recipe if you’re feeling adventurous.
• Water: Helps to blend the mix and keeps the cupcakes moist. You could use milk for added richness!
• Butter: Adds a lovely depth of flavor and keeps the cupcakes tender. Coconut oil or vegetable oil can also be used in its place.
• Eggs: Vital for binding the ingredients together and providing structure. For a vegan option, you can use flax eggs or applesauce.
• Betty Crocker Home Style Fluffy White Frosting mix: This frosting is ideal for creating fluffy ghost shapes. You can replace it with any white frosting recipe you enjoy, or make a cream cheese frosting for a tangier twist.
• Black sugar pearls: These are essential for those expressive ghost eyes! If you can’t find them, mini chocolate chips will do the trick.

How to Make Halloween Ghost Cupcakes

Creating these ghostly treats is a delightful experience worth sharing with friends or family—perfect for a fun afternoon in the kitchen!

Here’s how to do it:

🔑 Key to Success #1 – Use a Chocolate Cake Mix for Convenience

We’re taking a shortcut by using a boxed chocolate cake mix for these cute little Ghost Cupcakes.

You can certainly use your favorite chocolate cake recipe to make the cupcakes if you’d prefer.

I just think when we’re making cute and whimsical cupcakes like ghosts, the focus is more on the design and you don’t expect to bite into a gourmet cupcake.

Plus, I really like boxed cake mixes for cupcakes because they bake up so light and fluffy.

A light and fluffy cupcake is perfect for these ghost cupcakes because the frosting is as light and fluffy as a cloud.

Substitutions for Bakery-style Cupcakes

To make the boxed cake mix into bakery-style cupcakes, we’re substituting melted butter for the oil.

This is optional. You can use ingredients and instructions suggested on the box of cake mix if you’d prefer.

A box of cake mix makes 24 standard size cupcakes so you will need two 12-cup muffin pans or you will need to bake your cupcakes in batches.

Be sure to use some cupcake liners in your muffin pans.

I like to use the parchment liners made by Paper Chef. They are nonstick. If you use them, you do not need to spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

For regular paper cupcake liners, I highly recommend spraying them right before you add your cupcake batter.

🔑 Key to Success #2 – The Fluffy White Frosting is KEY

I am just the biggest fan of the Betty Crocker Home Style Fluffy White Frosting mix, but unfortunately, a lot of big box stores are no longer carrying it.

You can find it at some smaller grocery stories sometimes or you can get it on Amazon.com or Walmart.com.

I love this fluffy frosting on angel food cake and it’s the perfect base for No-Cook Divinity candy.

It is light and airy and you cannot find a substitute in a can anywhere like this frosting.

It’s a lot like 7-minute frosting. If you can’t find the Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting mix, try substituting a great 7-minute frosting recipe.

Tall Ghosts Need Double the Frosting

We’re using two boxes of the Fluffy White Frosting mix because these tall ghosts use up a lot of frosting.

If you have a stand mixer, it’s best to use it for this recipe.

Otherwise, you can use a hand mixer but just know going in that you have to beat the frosting for 5 to 7 minutes.

There are no substitutes for the beating time for this frosting. It’s going to take long for the frosting to make stiff peaks.

But it’s totally worth it, I promise.

If using a hand mixer, I would recommend making each box of frosting separately.

I think it would be too much for a hand mixer to handle otherwise.

🔑 Key to Success #3 – Piping the Ghosts

The cute little frosting ghosts are really easy to pipe if you have the right equipment.

Here are the supplies you need:

• large 16-inch piping bag
• Wilton 1A (or similar) piping tip
• bag clip to keep the piping bag closed

You can use reusable or disposable piping bags for these Ghost Cupcakes.

I like to use a disposable piping bag that is at least 16 inches long.

First, snip off the tip of the piping bag then press the piping tip down into the bag.

If the piping tip doesn’t fit into the hole that you cut in the bag, snip off a little more until the piping tip fits smoothly.

The piping tip should fit snugly without any gaps between it in the bag.

Once you have the piping tip fitted into the bag, scoop in the frosting. You do not have to fit all the frosting in the bag at once.

Only put as much as you can handle at once. You can always add more later.

Close the top of the bag and fasten it with a clip.

I use these clips from Ikea that I purchased on Amazon for a few bucks and they work great to keep the frosting in the bag.

How to Pipe Ghosts on a Cupcake

Piping ghosts on a cupcake is not as hard as it may seem.

Think of the ghost as three distinct sections.

You want the bottom section to be the biggest. The middle part should be a little smaller. And the top should be the smallest.

Pipe the Bottom Section of the Ghost

This section forms the base of the ghost.

1. Hold the piping tip straight up and down about 1/2-inch over the top of the cupcake
2. Press the bag firmly until the frosting spreads to the edge of the cupcake
3. STOP SQUEEZING THE BAG
4. Pull the piping tip away.

When you stop squeezing the bag before removing it, you will get a flat top to your frosting. This will create a flat base for your next section.

For the Middle Section of the Ghost

1. Move the piping tip to 1/2-inch above the base of the ghost and hold it straight up and down
2. Press the bag firmly until the frosting spreads nearly to the edge of the base frosting
3. STOP SQUEEZING THE BAG
4. Pull the piping tip away.

Again, you want a flat base for your head so stop squeezing the bag before you move to the next section.

For the Ghost’s Head

1. Move the piping tip to 1/2-inch above the middle layer and hold it straight up and down
2. Press the bag firmly until the frosting makes the ghost’s head
3. KEEP SQUEEZING THE BAG gently as you pull the piping tip straight up to create the pointed head

Now your ghost is perfectly formed! The last step is to add the ghost’s eyes.

We’re using black sugar pearls for the eyes.

Use a steady hand to stick the eyes in place. Put them closer together than you think you need them to be.

One tip about the eyes is to add them right before your party.

After several hours, the color may start bleeding off of the black sugar pearls so it’s best to add them right before you’ll be serving your cupcakes.

So easy!

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But wait, there’s more …

Don’t miss our Cute and Easy Halloween Treats recipe roundup.

We’re sharing lots of great Halloween treat ideas for your next Halloween party.