Halloween Cupcakes Recipe

It’s almost Halloween and I couldn’t resist posting this great idea. Lucky my colleague Paola suggested it! You can find this and more Halloween recipe on Country Living or on Delish web site.

First of all, to make this luscious dessert, use the Classic Chocolate Cake recipe (see below for the complete recipe). You can also try substituting your favourite cake recipe, or if you're short on time, a boxed mix — one box yields 12 Mini Pumpkin Cakes.

To get the look of these single-serving pumpkin treats, trim the bottoms of cakes baked in mini Bundt pans. Join two cakes so that the fluted tops are at either end, then drizzle with Chocolate Glaze or Vanilla Glaze and sprinkle with coarse colored sugar or nonpareils before the glaze sets. Top with a marzipan stem. After the recipe there is a picture on how to make it.

Classic Chocolate Cake recipe

Ingredients
• 2 cup(s) flour
• 1/2 cup(s) cocoa
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3/4 cup(s) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup(s) sour cream
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup(s) milk


Directions


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-cup muffin pans (for filled cakes), two 8-inch-round cake pans (for layer cake; pictured), or 2 mini Bundt pans (for Mini Pumpkin Cakes). Set aside. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugars together in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Beat in the eggs. Reduce speed to medium-low. Stir the sour cream, vanilla, and milk together and add it in thirds, alternating with the flour mixture. Beat until batter is smooth, about 3 more minutes.
3. Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center tests clean. For layer cake, it should take about 25 minutes; filled cakes, 20 minutes; and Mini Pumpkin Cakes, 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Trim cooled cake layers, if necessary, to make level and frost and decorate as desired.
Tips & Techniques

Mix ingredients at room temperature. To quickly take the chill off eggs, run them under warm water.


Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
• 9 ounce(s) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) butter

• 1/2 cup(s) heavy cream

Directions


1. Place the chocolate and butter together in a heat-proof bowl; set aside. Heat the heavy cream until it just begins to boil and immediately pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until smooth. Let sit until slightly thickened before using to glaze cakes, about 3 minutes. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to set the chocolate.
2. For filled cakes: Pour chocolate on each filled cake and smooth over the cake to completely coat. Place the cakes in the freezer until chocolate sets. Remove and store in a cool area.


Tips & Techniques

Place cakes on a wire rack set over a baking pan to catch any glaze drips.

Marzipan stems: from a ball of marzipan make a snake and twist it as shown in picture