Fangtastic Halloween Spider Cupcakes

Hosting a Halloween party? Wanting a great-looking and tasting Halloween cupcakes recipe? With Halloween upon us next week, I will be running a series of Halloween-themed posts over the next couple of weeks, kicking off with these old favourites of mine to curb those Halloween cupcake cravings, ‘Fangtastic Spider Cupcakes’! I love hosting a Halloween party, and along with running some traditional games for my kids and their friends, I also love serving some spooky treats!

The cupcake recipe is a basic vanilla one (anything more fancy would be overkill, what with the rather, erm, ‘hectic’ topping).

This is the one I always use:

You will need:

• 4 free range eggs
• 200g self raising flour
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180º C.
2. Grease and line a muffin/cupcake tin.
3.  In a large mixing bowl using (hopefully, for the sake of your wrists) a hand held electric whisk,
4. Combine the eggs, flour, sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour the mixture into the cupcake tin, and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.
6. Remove and cool.

For topping your cupcakes, you will need:

• Icing sugar
• Black food colouring
• fizzy, jelly snakes (for the legs)
• White chocolate buttons
• Brown, or black, tube icing for the eyes (you should be able to buy from a large supermarket)
• Chocolate sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Mix 4 tablespoons icing sugar with 1 tablespoon water, plus a few (and only a few!) drops of the food colouring until you have a thick-ish consistency i.e. it won’t easily run off the top of your cupcakes.
2. Spread the icing onto each cupcake evenly.
3. Cut 4 jelly snakes in half, to create 8 legs for your spider, and then stick onto your cupcake, using the icing as an adhesive.
4. Cut a white chocolate button in half, and place onto the front of your cupcake (as in the above pictures), to make fangs.
5. Using your brown/black tube icing, make dots on two white chocolate buttons for eyes. Position these onto your spider.
6. Scatter your chocolate sprinkles onto your spider’s back, just because you can, and because all spiders would forever be more appealing if they had this feature.
7. Repeat as necessary for your other cupcakes!

FAQs About Halloween Cupcakes

How far in advance can I make Halloween cupcakes?
You can bake the cupcakes 1–2 days ahead and store them in an airtight container. Add the toppings on the day of your event for the freshest look and taste.

Can I freeze the cupcakes?
Yes! Freeze the plain cupcakes (without decorations) in a sealed container for up to a month. Defrost them at room temperature before icing and decorating.

What’s the best way to get black icing without a bitter taste?
Use a high-quality gel food colouring specifically made for baking. Start with dark chocolate or cocoa-based icing to avoid needing too much dye.

Can I use shop-bought cupcakes and just decorate them?
Absolutely! If you’re short on time, grab some plain cupcakes and just follow the spider decorating instructions for a fun, spooky upgrade.

Got any Halloween party favour ideas to go with these cupcakes?
Definitely! Custom keyrings with spooky designs or guests’ names are a great take-home treat that pairs perfectly with your baked creations. They’re fun, personal, and won’t get eaten by mistake!

These scrummy Halloween cupcakes curbed those cupcake cravings? See more Halloween cupcakes here!

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.