Halloween Slime Cupcakes

I absolutely love Halloween and all the spooky themed food that comes with it. These Halloween Slime Cupcakes fit the bill perfectly as they look rather scary with their black "burnt" sponge, bright green "toxic" buttercream and creepy candy eyes, but don't be fooled - they taste absolutely yummy! Once you bite into their menacing exterior you'll find gooey "radioactive" slime inside. I used a lime marmalade to create this effect and for a tasty citrus zing, but you could use strawberry jam for a "blood and guts" theme inside too. Kids and adults alike will love making these fun slime cupcakes to disgust and delight their family and friends over the Halloween season!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

• Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
• For the best results, use good quality professional food colouring. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair.
• I use a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercrream.
• I got the candy eyes in my local supermarket and they are pretty widely available around Halloween, but you can purchase them online too. Do check the ingredients if you are vegetarian or if you have any allergies as some can contain insect derived food colourings, egg white or milk powder. Or you can make your own by melting some dark chocolate and piping a small circle onto a white chocolate button.
• 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 Slime Cupcakes

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To make the cupcakes sponges, mix together butter and caster sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk in. Next, add self raising flour and black food colouring and mix in.

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Divide the batter between the black cupcake cases. Bake for 20 minutes, use a thin skewer or a cocktail stick to check they are done as you won't be able to tell because they're so black!

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When the cupcakes are fully cooled, used a cupcake corer to make holes in the middle of each cake. Add a little bit of green food colouring to the lemon and lime marmalade, then spoon it into each cupcake.

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To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar. Add the vanilla extract, milk and the lime green food colouring until you have a nice bright green colour. Pipe it onto the cupcakes then decorate with the candy eyes.

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 Xantham Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for the cupcakes and the buttercream. If you are using candy eyes, check the labels as some can contain milk powder.

More tips for making the Halloween Slime Cupcakes:

• I used a Jem 1E nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, but you can use any nozzle you prefer or spread it on with a spoon.
• If you can't get hold of lime marmalade for the centre, try using a strawberry jam for a "blood and guts" effect!

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
• Cooling rack
• Kitchen scales
• Electric hand mixer
• Piping bags
• Cupcake corer
• Black cupcake cases
• Lime green food colouring
• Black food colouring
• Jem 1E Piping nozzle
• Candy eyes

*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!

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