Spider Cupcakes Recipes

SPICED SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
• Combine flour, white sugar, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in bowl; whisk to mix. In separate bowl, mix water, canola oil, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Pour liquids into dry mixture and stir until smooth. The batter will be very thin.
• Transfer batter into a measuring cup or pitcher; pour batter into prepared cupcake pans.
• Bake in preheated oven until tops spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Beat cream cheese, butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually mix in confectioners' sugar until frosting is creamy and spreadable. Frost the cooled cupcakes.
• To decorate cupcakes, use black decorating gel to draw a small circle in the center of each cupcake. Draw a larger circle around the first, and continue making larger circles until the last circle is about 1/4 inch from the edge. There should be about 5 rings on each cupcake. Use a toothpick to draw about 8 lines radiating from the center of the cupcake to the edge, like spokes on a wheel, to make webs.
• Cut the licorice strings into pieces about 1 1/4 inch long for legs. Poke four licorice legs into both sides of each gumdrop. Use decorating gel to make eyes and a smiley mouth on each gumdrop. Place a gumdrop spider onto each cupcake in the center of the webs.

SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions. , Fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. , Cool to 110°. Transfer to a large bowl. Beat until thickened and mixture begins to lose its gloss, about 8 minutes. , Cut large marshmallows in half crosswise; place a half on each cupcake. Frost marshmallow and top of cupcake. Dip cupcakes in sprinkles. Place a dab of frosting on each miniature marshmallow and press on to cupcakes. Place a dab of frosting on each M&M and press on to marshmallows for eyes. , For spider legs, use a metal or wooden skewer to poke four holes on opposite sides of cupcakes; insert a piece of licorice into each hole.

SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool completely.
• Cut licorice into 3 inch sections. Working with one or two cupcakes at a time, so the frosting doesn't set before decorating, frost the cupcakes with the white frosting. Insert licorice pieces into the outer edges of the cupcakes to make the legs of the spider, 3 legs on each side (4 takes up too much space). Place two pieces of candy corn on the front of the cupcake for fangs and use two red hots as eyes. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside. In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Then add both sugars and continue mixing to cream them together. Add the eggs gradually and let them thoroughly mix in. Add the melted unsweetened chocolate and mix in well. Add the vanilla and 1/3 of the yogurt and mix, then add half the dry ingredients, and mix in well. Repeat alternating wet and dry, ending with wet.
• Pour batter into a muffin tins, lined with cupcake papers, filling them 3/4 full. Bake until firm to the touch on the cap of the cupcakes, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then decorate.
• To make the cupcakes into spiders, frost with your favorite chocolate frosting glue 2 flat chocolate buttons on the top of the cupcake as eyes. Pipe a large white dot on lower half of each button then stick on the chocolate chips, then pipe a tiny white dot on the tip of the chip. In red, pipe a smile and to make them tarantulas, pipe a red hourglass shape on its back. Cut black liquorice into 3-inch long pieces and tuck 8 of them into the rim of the cupcake cap to make legs.
• To serve the cupcakes, with black frosting pipe a spider web onto a middle of a large white plate and place the spiders around the edge.
• Notes about the recipe: I always buy the large tub of plain yogurt because it's so much cheaper than buying all those small ones, and the next thing I know, it's gone moldy for lack of attention. So this is a good place to use a large quantity of it up. You can use sour milk instead or sour your own by squeezing a good amount of lemon juice into whole milk and letting it stand 2 minutes to curdle and sour.
• Here's proof that there is something even cuter than a cupcake. Princess Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, taught me how to turn cupcakes into spiders. He made these on the Princes' birthdays, as part of a complete bug theme party with a big ladybug cake and cheese pastries coiled up like snails, with antennae made of chives. I make them for my prince's birthdays; my son Gio loves them.

RED VELVET SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake tins with 18 cupcake liners.
• Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Mix in the buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture until just blended (do not overbeat!). Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them two-thirds full.
• Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the tins; cool completely.
• Remove part of the center of each cupcake, going in only halfway.
• For the frosting: In a stand mixer, whip the butter until light and creamy. Slowly whisk in the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, scrapping down the bowl as needed. Add the cream, vanilla and salt and whisk until light and fluffy.
• Transfer the frosting to a piping bag. Pipe frosting into the hollowed out center of each cupcake and then swirl around to cover the top. Arrange white cotton candy in a puffy bunch on top of the cupcakes. Top with a black fondant spider.

SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Mini Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners. Sift cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
• Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks, and let cool. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved.
• Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until the mixture is fluffy, glossy, and completely cool, about 10 minutes.
• With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on low speed until air bubbles are eliminated and the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again.
• Frost mini cupcakes with buttercream, then cover tops with sanding sugar. For each spider, use 2 cinnamon candies for eyes. For legs, attach 8 pieces of licorice. For fangs, cut out tiny cone shapes from a marshmallow and attach.

SPOOKY SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in the applesauce, vanilla and orange zest. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture until well combined. Stir in pecans., Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For frosting, in a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, food coloring and enough orange juice to achieve spreading consistency. Set aside 1/4 cup orange frosting. Frost cupcakes., Transfer chocolate frosting to a heavy-duty resealable bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Pipe a circle of chocolate in center of each cupcake. Pipe evenly spaced thin concentric circles about 1/4 in. apart. Beginning with the center circle, gently pull a toothpick through circles toward outer edge. Wipe toothpick clean. Repeat to complete web pattern., Cut licorice into 2-in. pieces; press eight pieces into each gumdrop for legs. Place reserved orange frosting in a heavy-duty resealable bag; cut a small hole in a corner of the bag. Pipe eyes on each spider gumdrop. Position on cupcakes.

SPIDERWEB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cupcakes as directed on box for 24 cupcakes.
• Tint frosting with red and yellow food colors to make orange frosting. Spread frosting over tops of cupcakes.
• Squeeze circles of decorating gel on each cupcake; pull knife through gel from center outward to make web. To make each spider, roll out 1 gumdrop and cut out 8 strips for legs; place another gumdrop on top. Place spider on cupcake. Store loosely covered.

HALLOWEEN SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In medium bowl, mix buttermilk, oil, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and the egg with whisk until blended. Add oil mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely.
• In large bowl, beat butter, 1 cup of the powdered sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar, beating until blended. Frost cupcakes. For each cupcake, place small spider-shaped stencil or template on frosting; sprinkle black sanding sugar over stencil to cover the image. Carefully remove stencil. Place red candy in center of spider.

SPIDER-WEB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and water; whisk until smooth.
• Divide batter evenly among paper-lined standard muffin tins. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in tins on wire racks 10 minutes. Turn out onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature up to 2 days before glazing and decorating.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth (glaze will be very thick). Spread onto cupcakes and let stand until glaze is set. Place cupcakes on a doily or serving platter in tight concentric circles.
• Place melted chocolate in a parchment cone or resealable plastic bag with a tiny hole snipped in one corner. Pipe a straight line from middle of top row of cupcakes to bottom. Pipe a second line going across middle of cupcakes, from left to right. Pipe 6 more lines through center point, spaced evenly apart; lines should form 16 even wedges. Create a web pattern by piping slightly curved, swooping lines to connect spokes, starting from center, letting chocolate flow between cupcakes.

COOL SPIDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Frost tops and sides of cupcakes with whipped topping. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles.
• Cut each piece of licorice into 8 pieces. Insert 8 pieces licorice into top of teach cupcake to create "spider legs." Top with 2 candies for "eyes." Store leftover cupcakes in refrigerator.