As much as I love Halloween I don't actually like to be scared. Horror movies are not my thing, and you'd never find me in a Haunted House! Instead I like to have fun with it, and I think these Halloween Vampire Bat Cupcakes capture that perfectly! They are chocolate cupcakes filled with chocolate chips, then I've topped them with black chocolate buttercream, dark chocolate wings, candy eyes and fondant fangs. They're simple to decorate and perfect for a fun Halloween baking session with your children, friends or family. Their cute goofy faces are sure to put a smile on anyone's face!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- For the black buttercream I used a professional grade food colouring. These types of food colouring not only provide excellent colour results, but they are gel based so they do not make the buttercream sloppy. They are also easily available for purchase online. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. Other good quality brands are Colour Mill and Americolor.
- If you can't get hold of candy eyes, you can make the eyes out of fondant. Using a round fondant plunger, or a round piping nozzle, cut a circle out of white fondant, then cut a smaller circle out of black fondant, use a little water to stick them together.
- If you can get hold of black candy melts, you could make the wings out of them so the colour of the bat is all black.
- 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 Vampire Bat Cupcakes
To start I made the sponge by mixing together butter and sugar, whisking in eggs and milk, then whisking in cocoa powder and self raising flour. I also added some black food colouring and chocolate chips. I divided the mixture between cupcake cases and baked them for 20 minutes, then left to cool.
To decorate I made a chocolate buttercream, chocolate wings and fondant fangs.
I assembled the cupcakes by piping the buttercream onto the sponge. I smoothed it out using a palette knife, then added candy eyes, the fondant fangs and the chocolate wings.
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 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. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the cupcakes and the buttercream. You will also need to use dairy free dark chocolate chips and dairy free dark chocolate for the wings.
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 cupcakes 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!
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!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- Cupcake tin
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Cooling rack
- Piping bags
- Black cupcake cases
- Round piping nozzle
- Candy eyes
- White fondant
- Black food colouring
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More Halloween Cupcake recipes...
Halloween Vampire Bat Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 175 g Butter or baking spread unsalted, softened
- 175 g Caster sugar
- 3 Eggs large
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 150 g Self raising flour
- 25 g Cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- 50 g Chocolate chips
- Black food colouring
For the buttercream
- 150 g Butter unsalted, softened
- 260 g Icing sugar
- 40 g Cocoa powder
- 2-3 tbsp Milk
- Black food colouring
For decoration
- 24 Candy eyes
- 25 g White fondant
- 100 g Dark chocolate
Instructions
- Make the fondant fangs first so they can dry and harden. Roll out your white fondant on a smooth surface dusted with icing sugar, and cut strips about 1cm in width. Cut the strips up diagonally (sort of like bunting) to create the triangle shaped fangs. Leave out on some baking paper to dry
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake tin with black paper cases
- To make the cupcakes, mix together the butter and caster sugar until smooth
- Add the eggs and milk, and whisk in
- Add the self raising flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and whisk in
- Add enough black food colouring to darken the batter, then fold in the chocolate chips
- Divide the mixture between the cupcakes cases, and bake them for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Put them on a rack to cool completely
- To make the chocolate wings. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave, make sure to use a microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate for 30 seconds, stir it, then heat in 10 second bursts, stirring in between
- Pour into a piping bag and pipe wing shapes onto baking paper, aim for wide 'M' shapes, then leave to set
- To make the buttercream, mix together the butter, cocoa powder and icing sugar with a spoon or electric hand whisk, when it starts to come together, add the milk and mix until smooth
- Then add the black food colouring until you reach the desired shade
- Pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake using a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle, then smooth out the top with a palette knife. Or spread on with a spoon
- Stick the candy eyes and fondant fangs on top
- Push the wings into each side of the buttercream
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place, eat leftovers within 3 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- For the black buttercream I used a professional grade food colouring. These types of food colouring not only provide excellent colour results, but they are gel based so they do not make the buttercream sloppy. They are also easily available for purchase online. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. Other good quality brands are Colour Mill and Americolor.
- If you can't get hold of candy eyes, you can make the eyes out of fondant. Using a round fondant plunger, or a round piping nozzle, cut a circle out of white fondant, then cut a smaller circle out of black fondant, use a little water to stick them together.
- If you can get hold of black candy melts, you could make the wings out of them so the colour of the bat is all black.
- 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.
Jo Allison
I'm totally with you Kat on the whole horror thing, not really my thing as I'm such a scaredy cat! I wouldn't mind coming face to face with cute vampire bat like though! 🙂 They are super adorable and delicious! Thank you for sharing them with #BakingCrumbs 🙂
Rosemary
These cupcakes look delicious - and not too scary. They also look easy enough for children to get involved in making them - and, even better, they are chocolate too!!
Jenny Walters
Mega cute and goofy! Just adorable. My children would go potty for these not to mention me! How damn clever. Love the little chocolate wings. Thank you so much for sharing them with #BakingCrumbs
Donna
Argh, these are so cute! Is it ok that I think Halloween Bat cakes are cute? The kids would love making them!
Monika Dabrowski
These are a delicious balance of cuteness and scariness, and I love the flavour too! Thank you for bringing this lovely recipe to #CookBlogShare
Cat | Curly's Cooking
So cute. You always have such lovely Halloween bakes. Can't beat a chocolate cupcake either!
Mother of 3
Those looks Spooktacular! Pinned.
Angie | Fiesta Friday
So adorable!! Just perfect for Halloween!
Jodie Fitz
Your vampire bats look amazing!
Helen - Cooking with my kids
OMG these are too cute (i mean scary) - they look like they'd taste really good too! My kids would love these for Halloween.