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One of my favourite things about baking, and creating new recipes, is how fun it can be! These Halloween Graveyard Cupcakes are made for the spookiest holiday, but they're also so fun, both to make and eat! They are moist chocolate cupcakes that I've filled with a delicious Oreo cheesecake mixture, then on top you'll find chocolate buttercream, a chocolate covered Lotus Biscoff biscuit, Oreo soil, and green buttercream grass. Kids will absolutely love making these cupcakes as there are so many elements to get involved in! And everyone will love tucking in to the final result!

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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used unsalted butter for the buttercream, for the cupcakes I used a baking spread.
I use a cupcake corer to make the hole in the centre of the cupcakes, you can also use the large circular end of a piping nozzle, an apple corer or a knife.
For the gravestones, you could use bourbon biscuits instead.
The Oreo cheesecake filling is optional.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Halloween Graveyard Cupcakes

To make the tombstones I used Lotus Biscoff biscuits. Snap about one third of the biscuit off the end, then dip the rest in melted dark chocolate. Place them on some baking paper to set. Then use melted white chocolate to pipe on the letters and other decoration.

To make the cupcakes, mix together baking spread and caster sugar, whisk in eggs and milk, then whisk in cocoa powder, baking powder and self raising flour. Divide the mixture between cupcake cases and bake them for 25-30 minutes, then leave to cool.

Using a cupcake corer, make a hole in the centre of each cupcake, then fill the centre with oreo cheesecake mixture.

Assemble the cupcakes by piping the chocolate buttercream onto the sponge. Smooth it out using a palette knife.

Then push the biscuit tombstones into the buttercream, add the oreo crumbs and pipe on some green buttercream using a grass nozzle.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How long do the cupcakes last for and can they be frozen?

The cupcakes will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the cupcakes well in cling film or put them in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. To freeze them decorated, freeze the cupcakes on a plate until frozen solid, then carefully wrap in cling film. Remove the clingfilm when you take the cupcakes out of the freezer to defrost, as if they defrost with it still on it could damage the buttercream.

Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can the cupcakes be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. You will also need to use a gluten free biscuits for the tombstones and the filling. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for the cupcakes and the buttercream. You will also need to decorate the cupcakes with a dairy free chocolate, and use dairy free cream cheese for the filling. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

While you can absolutely make this recipe with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, I do recommend using an electric mixer for the best results. The cake will be lighter and fluffier when made with an electric mixer. The buttercream will also be smoother. You don't have to use an expensive stand mixer either, you can get electric hand whisks for as little as £10!

More tips for making the Halloween Graveyard Cupcakes:

If you don't want to use chocolate covered Biscoff biscuits for the tombstones, you could use a bourbon biscuit as it's already brown. Or any other biscuit you come across that looks suitable to be a tombstone!
You don't have to fill the cupcakes with the Oreo cheesecake mixture if you don't want to, you can leave them unfilled. Or another option is to fill them with jam.
If you don't have a piping bag or grass nozzle for the green grass, just add a few small blobs of green buttercream and use the back of a spoon or a fork to create little flicks. It's a spooky graveyard so the less perfect looking, the better!

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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