Description
These Pumpkin Spice Pudding Halloween Cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and bursting with warm fall flavors. The use of pumpkin spice pudding mix enhances the spice profile while keeping the cupcakes tender. Decorated with festive black and yellow candy melts and sprinkles, these cupcakes are perfect for a fun and flavorful Halloween treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcake Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (3.4 ounce) pumpkin spice pudding mix
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup apple cider
Decorations (Optional)
- Black candy melts
- Yellow candy melts
- Sprinkles (yellow sugar sprinkles recommended)
- Small lollipop sticks or cupcake picks
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 24 cupcake wells with cupcake liners and set aside to ensure easy cupcake removal after baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and pumpkin spice pudding mix. Whisk these ingredients together to ensure they are evenly distributed.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the vegetable oil, eggs, and apple cider to the dry mixture. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until the batter is well combined and creamy, ensuring a smooth consistency.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon or pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full. This allows room for the cupcakes to rise without spilling over.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Place the cupcake tray in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, indicating they are fully cooked.
- Cool the Cupcakes: Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- Prepare Candy Moons: Measure your pick to determine the size of the moon decorations. Use a biscuit cutter or similar round object to trace circles onto parchment paper. Flip the parchment over so the pencil marks are not showing and tape it to a cookie sheet.
- Melt Yellow Candy Melts: Melt the yellow candy melts and fill into a squeeze bottle or a zip-top bag with a small corner cut for piping. Trace around the traced circles on the parchment paper first, then fill the circles in. Add yellow sugar sprinkles on top to help hide any uneven candy surfaces.
- Freeze Candy Moons: Place the cookie sheet with the candy moons into the freezer for 10 minutes to harden. Once hardened, shake off excess sprinkles and turn the moons over on the cookie sheet.
- Attach Lollipop Sticks: Dip the end of the small lollipop sticks into melted yellow candy and press it onto the center back side of each moon. Freeze for another 10 minutes to secure the sticks.
- Melt Black Candy Melts and Decorate Cupcakes: Melt the black candy melts. Dip the cooled cupcakes into the melted black candy and immediately roll into colored sugar sprinkles for a festive look.
- Assemble Final Decoration: Quickly place the hardened candy moons with sticks on top of each cupcake as decoration along with any cat picks or additional Halloween cupcake picks you prefer.
Notes
- The pumpkin spice pudding mix adds moisture and authentic fall flavors without needing to mix individual spices.
- Be sure cupcakes are completely cooled before dipping in candy melts to avoid melting or cracking.
- Freezing the candy moons helps them keep their shape and stick to the lollipop sticks securely.
- You can customize the decoration colors and picks to fit your Halloween theme.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
