Description
Delightfully spooky Black and White Spider Web Cupcakes featuring moist dark chocolate cake, creamy marshmallow-infused frosting, and eerie spider web decorations made from stretched marshmallows and black candy melts. Perfect for Halloween or themed parties.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 dark chocolate cake mix
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 large eggs
- Black food coloring, a small amount
- 24 black cupcake liners
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but not to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 jar marshmallow fluff (7 oz)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Decoration Ingredients
- 1 package black candy melts (12 oz)
- 1 package miniature marshmallows (16 oz)
- 1 package black candy pearls
- 24 plastic spider rings
Instructions
- Bake the Cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350°F and place the black cupcake liners into muffin cups. In a mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, and eggs, then add a small amount of black food coloring until the mixture turns grey. Add the dark chocolate cake mix and cocoa powder to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the liners about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.
- Prepare the Frosting: Beat the softened unsalted butter with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar half a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the almond extract and marshmallow fluff until smooth and creamy. Transfer the frosting to a 16oz piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M star tip and pipe evenly over each cooled cupcake.
- Adding Spider Webs with Black Candy Melts: Melt the black candy melts according to package instructions. Dip each frosted cupcake into the melted candy enough to cover half to two-thirds of the buttercream and set aside to cool completely. Meanwhile, melt 1 cup of miniature marshmallows in the microwave for 30 seconds, without stirring. Wearing gloves or using your bare hands carefully stretch about two marshmallows into thin strands, then arrange these strands on the cupcakes to form spider webs. Use scissors to cut the ring part off the plastic spider rings and place the spiders onto individual cupcakes.
- Adding Spider Webs without Black Candy Melts: Skip dipping the cupcakes. Stretch two marshmallows into strands and form spider webs directly onto the frosted cupcakes. Cut the ring parts off the plastic spiders and carefully place them on each cupcake. Add black candy pearls one by one onto the frosting and spider webs to represent spider eggs, completing the eerie look.
Notes
- Messiness in the marshmallow webs adds to the creepy, realistic look of the spider webs, so don’t worry about making them perfect.
- Wearing gloves while handling melted marshmallows helps manage the sticky texture.
- You can customize the amount of black food coloring to get the desired grey tone in the batter.
- Use scissors carefully when removing the ring parts from plastic spiders to avoid breaks or sharp edges.
- The cupcakes are best enjoyed the same day but can be stored covered at room temperature for a day.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
