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These spooky yet cute ghost cupcakes are the perfect hand-held treat for Halloween! Each cupcake is topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream shaped into the most adorable ghosts. Follow along for how to make them!
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: I used my vegan Apple Cupcakes, so they are sweet and lightly spiced. They taste like fall!
- Texture: The buttercream is super light and fluffy.
- Difficulty: Shaping the ghosts takes a few tries, but once you get the hang of it they’re pretty simple to make!
- Customizability: Very customizable. You can use chocolate cupcakes as the base or your favorite boxed cake mix.
- Time: A little over an hour to bake and decorate.
Why We Love These Cute Ghost Cupcakes: These adorable ghost cupcakes are the perfect dessert for a Halloween party! And this recipe uses my vegan buttercream frosting as well as my vegan apple cupcakes as the base, so they’re also dairy free and eggless (but I promise you won’t even be able to tell).
What You’ll Need:
For the Cupcakes & Frosting
- Spiced Apple Cupcakes: These are the base of the recipe! A box mix, homemade chocolate cupcakes or your favorite flavor would also work great. I have a delicious vegan mocha cupcake recipe in my e-book that would also be perfect for these.
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: This recipe uses my dairy-free vanilla buttercream. It makes a lot of frosting (enough to easily frost up to 18 cupcakes). I’ve learned that it’s better to have a little extra frosting than not enough.
For the Ghosts & Decorating
- Black Cupcake Liners or Baking Cups: These help make the ghosts on the top of each cupcake really stand out (versus using a standard white paper liner).
- Black Food Coloring or Black Icing Gel (Writing Icing): For piping on the ghost eyes and mouths. You can use store bought black writing icing for this or you can use the vegan royal icing (made without egg whites) listed in the recipe card below. If making your own black icing, you’ll need black food coloring. Other options for eyes include using mini chocolate chips, candy eyes or melting dark chocolate and piping it on the ghost bodies.
- Piping Bag: You can use a reusable pastry bag or a disposable icing bag. I ended up using a combination of both (reusable for piping on the buttercream and disposable for the black icing).
- Large Round Piping Tip: This is for piping on the ghosts’ bodies. I used a Hendiy R16L tip (0.5”-0.61” diameter ) but a Wilton 2A tip also works. A large round tip helps create a cone of frosting that’s easy to shape into ghosts.
- Small Round Piping Tip: For piping on the ghost arms and faces. I used the Wilton Decorating Tip 2.
- Offset Spatula or Knife: For shaping each buttercream ghost on the top of the cupcakes.
- ‘Boo’ Flags: These are of course optional, but they help create the cutest little ghosts! I made the flags myself and what you’ll need for those is listed in the next section.
Other Helpful Equipment
Here are a few tools that will make creating this recipe extra easy:
- Large Bowl: For making the cupcakes
- Cupcake Tin or Muffin Pan: For baking the cupcakes
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer: For whipping up the frosting
What You’ll Need for the ‘Boo’ Flags:
- Black Construction Paper: The base of the flag.
- Wooden Dowels: These will be cut to 1-2″ in length.
- Glue: To attach the paper to the dowel.
- Black Paint: To paint the sticks.
- White Pen or White Paint: To write ‘Boo‘ on each flag.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep the Components
STEP 1: Make the Apple Cupcakes according to the linked recipe. Let them cool completely before icing.
STEP 2: Prep the vanilla buttercream frosting. It can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let come to room temperature for 15 minutes and rewhip with an electric mixer on medium speed before transferring to a piping bag.
STEP 3: Prepare the black writing icing (make the vegan royal icing below or get store-bought writing icing).
STEP 4: This is optional. If using royal icing, you can pipe the ghost’s eyes and mouths onto parchment paper or wax paper about a day in advance. Store the parchment on a flat tray in the fridge for at least 12 hours to harden completely. Once dried, you can pop them off the parchment and place them on the ghosts.
Pipe on the Frosting
STEP 5: Use a large round piping tip to pipe vanilla buttercream in the center of each cupcake, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Pipe to about 1½-2 inches tall.
STEP 6: Shape into ghosts using an offset spatula warmed under hot water and dried. Wipe the spatula clean and rewarm between each smoothing motion. I recommend shaping the fronts and back first, then smoothing the sides and rounding out the top of the head.
Make the Ghost Faces & Arms
STEP 7: Using black writing icing with a small round tip, add eyes and a mouth to each ghost. Or place the hardened royal icing from step 4 on the ghost body.
STEP 8: Finish by piping small arms with remaining white buttercream using a small round tip.
STEP 9: Insert a ‘Boo’ Flag into one side of the ghost.
Serving & Storage
These ghost cupcakes are perfect for any Halloween party or spooky gathering! Serve them on a fun Halloween-themed platter, or place them in individual cupcake boxes as festive treats for friends and family.
Store the frosted ghost cupcakes in the fridge on a serving tray covered with plastic wrap for up to 1 day.
For longer storage, keep the unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days, and refrigerate the buttercream separately. Rewhip the buttercream before piping for the best texture!
Helpful Tips for Perfect Ghost Cupcakes
- Make the Components in Advance: Prep the cupcakes and buttercream ahead of time to make assembly extra easy. Cooled cupcakes are a must for making these Halloween treats (you don’t want the frosting to melt)! It’s much easier to get that perfect ghost shape when you’re not rushed.
- Warm and Dry Your Spatula: Run your spatula under hot water and dry it off between each smoothing motion. This helps melt the buttercream for a smooth, ghostly finish.
- Want to Make It Easier? Use mini chocolate chips or candy eyeballs instead of piping the faces for a quicker, fuss-free option!
More Delicious Autumn Recipes:
- Spiced Apple Cake
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danishes
- Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Chewy Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Halloween Ghost Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12 Black Cupcake Liners or Baking Cups
- 2-3 Piping Bags
- 1 Large Round Piping Tip
- 1 Small Round Piping Tip
- 1 Offset Spatula
- 12 'Boo' Flags optional, see notes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 recipe Spiced Apple Cupcakes, makes 12 cupcakes
Vegan Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups softened salted butter, regular or dairy-free (I used Violife Plant Butter)
- 4 ½ – 5 cups powdered sugar, 480g-550g
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, 3g
- 1-2 tbsp oat milk, or milk of choice
- Black writing icing or royal icing, see below, for decoration
Vegan Royal Icing:
- ½ cup powdered sugar, 65g
- 1 ½ tsp aquafaba, liquid from a can of chickpeas, 10g
- 4-5 drops black food coloring, 2-3 g
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Follow this recipe for spiced apple cupcakes and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before icing.1 recipe Spiced Apple Cupcakes
Prepare the Buttercream:
- Beat the softened butter with a mixer (hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment) on medium speed until fluffy and pale, 2-3 minutes.1 ½ cups softened salted butter
- Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk until combined. The frosting should be light and fluffy, yet stable.4 ½ – 5 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, 1-2 tbsp oat milk
- Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of milk (if thick) or powdered sugar (if thin) as needed for a pipeable consistency. Transfer to a piping bag with a large round tip.
Assemble the Ghost Cupcakes:
- Prepare the Royal Icing: In a small bowl, mix ½ cup powdered sugar, aquafaba, and 4-5 drops of black food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag with a small round tip.Tip: Place the piping bag in a tall glass and fold the top edge over the rim for easy filling.½ cup powdered sugar, 1 ½ tsp aquafaba, 4-5 drops black food coloring
- Use a large round piping tip to pipe the buttercream in the center of each cupcake, leaving a 1-inch border. Pipe it up to 1½-2 inches tall for the ghost bodies.
- Warm an offset spatula under hot water, dry it off, and use it to smooth the buttercream into ghost shapes. Wipe and rewarm the spatula between each motion for a clean finish. Start with the front and back, then smooth the sides and round the top.
- Using black writing icing or the royal icing, pipe on two round eyes and an oval mouth on the ghost body.Black writing icing or royal icing
- With a small round piping tip, pipe small arms on the sides of each ghost using the remaining buttercream.
- Insert a handmade “Boo” flag (see notes) into the side of each ghost for a festive touch!
Recipe notes
Pipe small eyes and mouths onto parchment or wax paper a day ahead. Let them harden in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Once dried, gently pop them off and store for later use. To make the ‘Boo’ Flags: Cut construction paper into small triangles. Use a white pen to write ‘BOO!’ on each one. Cut wooden dowels to 1-2 inches long, paint them black, and glue the flags onto the dowels. Other Tips: ❶ Make the Components in Advance: Prep the cupcakes and buttercream ahead of time to make assembly a breeze. Cooled cupcakes are a must for making these Halloween treats! It’s much easier to get that perfect ghost shape when you’re not rushed! ❷ Warm and Dry Your Spatula: Run your spatula under hot water and dry it off between each smoothing motion. This helps gently melt the buttercream for a smooth, ghostly finish. ❸ Want to Make It Easier? Use mini chocolate chips or candy eyeballs instead of piping the faces for a quicker, fuss-free option!
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