Spider Cupcakes for Halloween
These vegan spider cupcakes are rich chocolate cupcakes topped with a glossy chocolate ganache, a dusting of shredded chocolate, and a friendly spider made from fruit strip candy legs and two fresh cranberry eyes. They are easy to make, kid-friendly, and the perfect spooky treat for a Halloween party. If you want a dessert that looks impressive but comes together with basic pantry ingredients, these are the ones to bake.
For this year’s Halloween party, I chose to create some decadent, delicious chocolate cupcakes that everybody will love. I’m not a big fan of decorating desserts, as I’m lacking the required patience to create intricate designs, so I promise you these spiders are the opposite of fussy. Trust me when I say that literally anyone can make them at home. Plus, I really believe that making desserts and decorating them is a very nice and pleasant way to spend some quality time together with your family or little ones.
What you’ll need for these Halloween cupcakes
The recipe splits into three simple parts: the chocolate cupcake batter, a two-ingredient chocolate frosting, and the spider decoration. A few notes on the ingredients that matter most:
- Cocoa powder and chocolate chips give the cupcakes their deep chocolate flavor. The only secret behind chocolate is to consume it in low amounts, of course, and to try to buy the highest quality chocolate you can find, as that one is the most nutritious of them all.
- Chocolate milk (vegan or dairy) makes up the liquid in the batter. Use a plant-based chocolate milk to keep the cupcakes fully vegan, or regular chocolate milk if that is what you have.
- Apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cupcakes rise and stay tender. Do not skip it, even though the amount is tiny.
- Coconut oil, melted adds moisture and richness. Melt it gently so it blends smoothly into the batter.
- Fruit strip candy and fresh cranberries are the fun part: thin strips of candy become the eight legs, and two cranberries sit on top as the eyes.
How to bake and frost them
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Whisk the dry ingredients together first, then add all the wet ingredients and whisk again until you get a smooth batter. Whisking the dry mix on its own spreads the baking powder and baking soda evenly, so the cupcakes rise uniformly instead of in patches. Divide the batter equally between lined cupcake cups, scatter a few chocolate chips on top, and bake for about 20 minutes.
The frosting could not be simpler. Warm the milk in a small pot, turn off the heat, add the chocolate chips, and let them sit for a minute before whisking into a smooth, glossy ganache. Letting the chips sit in the hot milk before you stir means they melt evenly and the frosting stays shiny rather than grainy. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a rack first, because a warm cupcake will melt the frosting and it will slide right off.
Turning them into spiders
Dip the top of each cooled cupcake in the frosting and set them aside for a few minutes to let the ganache firm up. Once the frosting has set, gently dip the tops in shredded dark chocolate to give the spiders a fuzzy body. Finish by pressing in strips of fruit candy for the legs and two fresh cranberries for the eyes. In case you need some inspiration for this year’s spooky treat, I’m here to help: bend the candy legs slightly so they curve like real spider legs, and the whole thing instantly looks more alive.
Tips for the best spider cupcakes
- Do not overmix the batter. Whisk just until smooth. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes the cupcakes dense instead of light.
- Check for doneness with a toothpick. Insert it into the center around the 20-minute mark; it should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Cool completely before frosting. This is the step people rush the most. Warm cupcakes melt the ganache.
- Let the ganache thicken slightly before dipping if it feels too runny. A minute or two of resting off the heat makes it easier to coat the tops evenly.
- Make it a family activity. Decorating the spiders is the ideal job to hand to kids, since there is no wrong way to place the legs.
Storing and making them ahead
These cupcakes keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days, or in the fridge for up to five. If you refrigerate them, let them come back to room temperature before serving so the crumb softens again. You can bake the plain cupcakes a day ahead and store them un-frosted, then make the ganache and decorate on the day of your party for the freshest look. They are a great addition to a spread of kid-friendly Halloween desserts, and if you are planning a full menu you can round it out with more spooky vegetarian Halloween recipes. For an easy homemade sweet to hand out alongside them, take a look at these vegan Halloween candy recipes, or serve them next to a slice of Halloween pumpkin pie for the grown-ups.
If you make these little spiders for your Halloween party, I would love to know how they turned out. Rate the recipe below and leave a comment telling me whether you went with cranberry eyes or improvised something even spookier.
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Spider Cupcakes for Halloween
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- ⅔ cup chocolate milk vegan or dairy
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 3 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
- 3 Tbsp milk vegan or dairy
For the decoration:
- 2 Tbsp dark chocolate shredded
- fruit strip candy
- 1 tbsp cranberries fresh
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
- In a mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
- Whisk, then add all the wet ingredients and whisk again until you get a smooth batter.
- Equally, fill the batter in a cupcake pan lined with cupcake wrappers.
- Add some chocolate chips on top of each cupcake.
- Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Let the cupcakes cool on a rack.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting:
- Heat the vegan milk in a small pot. Turn off the heat.
- Add the chocolate chips and let it sit a minute.
- Whisk until well incorporated and until you get a smooth frosting cream.
- Dip the top of each cupcake in the frosting, then set aside for few minutes.
- When the frosting is set, gently dip the top of the cupcakes in shredded chocolate.
- Decorate each cupcake with strips candy and two fresh cranberries in order to get a spider cupcake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the base recipe is fully plant-based. The batter uses coconut oil and chocolate milk, and the card lets you choose plant-based chocolate milk and regular milk for the ganache. Just make sure your chocolate chips and fruit strip candy are dairy-free, and the whole treat stays vegan. You can also use dairy milk if you prefer a non-vegan version.
The legs are made from thin strips of fruit strip candy pressed into the frosting, and the eyes are two fresh cranberries set on top. If you cannot find fruit strip candy, licorice laces or thin candy strips work the same way. For the eyes, small candy-coated chocolates or two dots of white icing are easy swaps.
The apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to create the lift that helps the cupcakes rise and stay tender. In an egg-free batter this reaction is what gives you a light crumb instead of a dense one. The amount is small and you will not taste it in the finished cupcake.
Warm the milk, turn off the heat, then add the chocolate chips and let them sit for a full minute before whisking. Letting the chips melt in the hot milk before stirring keeps the frosting smooth and glossy. If it still looks split, whisk in a teaspoon of warm milk to bring it back together.
Yes. Bake the plain cupcakes up to a day in advance and store them un-frosted in an airtight container. Make the ganache and decorate the spiders on the day of the party so the frosting and cranberry eyes look their freshest.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days, or in the fridge for up to five days. If you refrigerate them, let them come back to room temperature before serving so the crumb softens again.
Your decoration is adorable! 🙂 Made the simple version (without the candy and cranberries) and the kids loved them!!
Thank you!