Spooky Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Spooky Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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These special cupcakes, decorated with bats, black cats, webs and ghosts, disappeared fast!—Barb Schlafer, Appleton, Wisconsin

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Spooky Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Prep: 35 min. Bake: 15 min. + cooling

Yield: 24 Servings

35 15 50

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FROSTING:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
4-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Black paste food coloring
Orange and black M&M's
Tart 'n' Tiny candies

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
In a bowl, cream the shortening, butter and confectioners' sugar. Stir in water and extracts. Remove 1/2 cup frosting to a small bowl; tint with black food coloring. Frost cupcakes with remaining white frosting.
Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag. Insert a small round #5 tip; fill bag with black frosting. Decorate cupcakes with black frosting and candies as desired. Yield: 2 dozen.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 360 calories, 17 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 242 mg sodium, 51 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Originally published as Spooky Chocolate Cupcakes in Taste of Home October/November 2004, p61