Name: Spiderweb Halloween Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 53 min
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 sticks butter (1.5 cups, at room temperature); 1 ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 2 tablespoons cocoa; 1 ounce black food coloring; 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon vinegar; 2 recipe chocolate buttercream frosting; 1 cup mini marshmallows

SpiderwebHalloween Cupcakesmade with dark chocolate, covered in decadent chocolate icing and topped with a web made from marshmallows not only taste fabulous but are the perfect treat for spooky season.

several spider web cupcakes on a cooling rack

I’m a big fan of seasonal desserts.I think it is so fun to match the holiday with fun food.These cupcakes are just the right amount of spookiness for me. I like tokeep Halloween cuteand not scary. The addition of the marshmallow spiderweb will get your everyone’s attention at your Halloween party.

You can never go wrong with a chocolate on chocolate dessert.Chocolate cupcakes plus amazingchocolate buttercreamis a total win.These cupcakes are moist, delicious, and not difficult to bake. These would be so fun to take to a school Halloween treat, fall festival, or any seasonal get-together.

one spiderweb cupcake on a stack of white plates with a few other cupcakes in the background

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Great for Parties: These cupcakes are a hit at Halloween parties, school events, and other parties.
Impressive Presentation: Despite being easy to make, the spiderweb design looks impressive
Delicious: Beyond their festive appearance, these cupcakes are simply delicious with their moist cake and creamy frosting.

Ingredients

Butter
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Baking Cocoa
Black Food Coloring
All-Purpose Flour
Salt
Vanilla
Buttermilk
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting-two of thisrecipe
Mini Marshmallows

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to Make Spiderweb Halloween Cupcakes

Step #1.Prep two muffin tins with cupcake wrappers and preheat the oven. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and eggs. Add cocoa and food coloring. In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. In another small bowl, mix the milk and vanilla.

Step #3.Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Bake 25 minutes or until the top springs back. Let cool completely. Pipe the chocolate frosting onto each in a tall mound.

Step #2.Alternate 1/3 of the flour mixture with 1/2 the milk mixture into the butter mixture until they have all been incorporated. Mix the baking soda and vinegar together and add to batter immediately.

Step #4.For the webbing, microwave one cup of marshmallows just until they are just puffy. Stick gloved hands into the marshmallows and drape the marshmallow over a frosted cupcake so it pulls off the gloves and spiderwebs on the cupcake. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Recipe FAQs

How do I make the spiderwebs?

Warm up marshmallows for 1-2 minutes until melted. I like to use gloves to stretch out the marshmallows but you can surely just use your fingers, it will just be messier. Once you have the desired thickness, drape the marshmallow over the icing to get the spiderweb effect. Each cupcake will look a little bit different and that is ok! I made a video of this for Instagram, so pop over there if you want to see this decorating method at work!

How full should I fill cupcake liners?

The rule of thumb is to fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Do not overfill them or you will have an overflowing cupcake mess, or cupcakes that make a “muffin top” out of the pan and are hard to get out of the pan.

How long should cupcakes cool before icing?

Before you frost your cupcakes you want them to be completely cool. It usually takes around 60 minutes. The butter in the frost will melt on a warm cupcake and get too soft if you don’t wait.

Do you spray paper cupcake liners with cooking spray?

It’s not a deal breaker, but giving a little spritz of non-stick spray will prevent cupcakes from sticking to the wrapper. And it depends a lot from brand to brand on if they stick. So if you have some that work well for you, stick to those!

spiderweb Halloween cupcakes on a white cake stand

Expert Tips

An ice cream scoop or “disher” is the easiest way to fill your cupcake wrappers with batter.A regular size scoop will usually be just right but you can always fill it a little less or give it a tiny bit extra if it’s not.
Gel food coloring is your best bet for turning your frosting black without changing the frosting’s texture.
Use good quality cocoa powder in the cupcakes and frosting.Dutch process cocoa powder is always a good choice – look for the container to say “Dutch process” or “alkalized” on it.