I always loved Halloween, but it is so much more fun with a child. I mean do not get me wrong, I like "Halloween adult," but with a child, there are so many activities and fun opportunities to dress. With a baby, it just feels like a huge game of dress-up as they have obviously no idea what is going on but we hope to roll with the punches.
Our kickoff to Halloween week was a cakewalk Saturday with a spooky theme "Glow-in-the-dark". I offered to make cupcakes, and since the whole party centered around black lights and creepy theme "white light", I decided to contribute to these cupcakes.
They are so simple really, start with your favorite Recipe- small cake (chocolate is of course the best for high contrast color.) I made a lot of frosting 7 minutes because I wanted it either two things bright white and very steep. I did not want butter that could get smushed or slipping. I wanted swirling ghosts stay where I put them. (And they did!) Can I use the mini chocolate chips and facial! Easy as can be!
And speaking of babies at Halloween ...
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¾ sugarless cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cup flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ tablespoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons salt coffee
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sugar
- light corn syrup 1 tablespoon
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 3 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- mini & regular chocolate chips for the face!
- Preheat oven to 350F. small boxes line with cake liners, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Make a small well in the middle of the bowl and add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together, then add the dry until smooth and lump-free.
- Fill cupcake liners ⅔ of the full and bake for 20-23 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool while you make the icing.
- White Place eggs in the clean bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer attached, combine sugar, corn syrup and water.
- On medium-high heat cook the sugar mixture to a boil. Point- To turn high average speed mixer to obtain the egg whites. When the sugar mixture reaches 230F, slowly on the side of the bowl in a steady stream while the mixture continues to operate.
- beat medium-high for about 7 minutes or until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch and stiff glossy peaks are formed. Add vanilla just before you finish to beat the frosting
- pipe frosting on the cupcakes immediately (it gets a little firm otherwise.) And decorate with chocolate chips!