Creepy Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Red and yellow liquid food coloring or orange paste food coloring
• 1 tablespoon baking cocoa
• 
  Round pastry tip #3
• 9 chocolate kisses
• 9 semisweet chocolate chips
• Black shoestring licorice, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 18 white nonpareils

Directions

• Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
• Fill greased jumbo muffin cups with 1/2 cup batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Cut a thin slice off the top of each cupcake.
• In a bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla; mix well. Remove 1 cup; tint orange and frost cupcakes. To the remaining frosting, add baking cocoa and remaining milk. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip. Fill with chocolate frosting. Pipe a web on each cupcake; set remaining frosting aside.
• For spider, insert chocolate kiss, point side down, next to edge of cupcake. Insert chocolate chip, point side down, next to kiss. Place four licorice pieces on each side of kiss. For eyes, pipe two small circles of chocolate frosting on chocolate chip; insert nonpareils. Yield: 9 cupcakes.

Creepy Cupcakes published in Country Woman September/October 2000, p25