These creepy Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes make the perfect festive Halloween dessert. Not only are they spooky and delicious—they are also super simple to put together.
If you’re looking for more Halloween themed cupcakes and desserts, you can also try these Graveyard Cupcakes, Jack O Lantern Cookies, Pumpkin Pretzels, or this Rice Krispies Brain.
Spooky Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes
Looking for a super simple but impressive dessert to bring to a Halloween party? These scary Halloween cupcakes are the perfect solution. This recipe uses store bought cake mix, a simple buttercream frosting, food coloring, and creepy eyeball gummies.
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You can mix and match cake flavors, frosting colors, and even eyeball decorations. Once the cakes are baked and the frosting is made, you can feel free to go wild with one of our ideas below to decorate cupcakes for Halloween. Or, come up with your very own!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cake Mix – you can use any flavor that you want! Just follow the instructions for cupcakes on the box to mix and bake, making sure you bake them in cupcake liners.
- Gummy Eyeballs – I used Sweet Tooth Fairy gummy eyeballs but any brand will work. You could also use candy eyeballs.
- Butter – make sure your butter is soft either by pulling out to room temperature ahead of time or warming gently in the microwave.
- Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best. You could also substitute mint extract, or another flavor that works well with the cake flavor.
- Milk – this helps to thin down the buttercream a bit.
- Powdered Sugar – using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar keeps the buttercream frosting super smooth.
How to Make Easy Halloween Cupcakes with Candy Eyeballs
- Bake the cupcakes. Make and bake cupcakes according to the instructions on the back of the box. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
- Make the vanilla buttercream frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy using the whisk attachment. Add half of the powdered sugar, the vanilla extract, and half of the milk. Whip on low speed to combine, then increase to high and whip until light and fluffy again. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the rest of the milk about a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency (Note: you may not need it all)
- Add food coloring. Divide the frosting into 3 separate bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl to make different colors. (Note: To make chocolate frosting, just add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder and an extra teaspoon of milk until you reach the desired consistency.)
- Decorate the cupcakes. Add the first color of frosting to a piping bag with a large piping tip and pipe onto 1/3 of the cupcakes. Repeat with the other colors of frosting. Top each with a candy eyeball, or any other decorative Halloween treats. Enjoy!
More Ideas for Decorating Halloween Cupcakes
Halloween cupcakes are all about creativity and fun. Feel free to mix and match these ideas for decorating cupcakes for Halloween. Or, come up with your own spooky designs.
- Create a spooky spiderweb by drawing intersecting lines with black icing on top of a white or orange frosted cupcake. Use a toothpick or thin icing tip to drag the lines from the center outward, creating a 3D effect.
- Cover the cupcakes with orange frosting, then pipe green icing to create pumpkin vines. Add candy pumpkins or green jelly beans as the pumpkins and sprinkle with green sugar or shredded coconut for added texture.
- To make witch hat cupcakes, first frost the cupcakes with purple or black icing. Take a chocolate wafer cookie and place it upside down on the cupcake. Use yellow icing or a yellow candy melt to create a buckle on the front of the hat. You can also use a licorice lace or pretzel stick to create the witch hat’s brim.
- Frost the cupcakes with green icing. Use large candy eyes or white icing to create Frankenstein‘s eyes. Use black icing to draw a flat, spiky hairline on top of the cupcake. Add a mouth with black icing or a small piece of licorice lace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can make these Halloween cupcakes well in advance and freeze them if you’d like. Same with the buttercream frosting – it can be made and frozen for up to 2 months. You could also just make, frost, and decorate these the day before you plan to serve them.
If you can’t find gummy eyeballs, or don’t have time to run out and grab some, you could also pipe them using piping gel. Otherwise candy eyeballs would work, or you could get creative and try and find other Halloween treats that make the shape of an eyeball.
Any kind of cake mix will work great! You could also make a variety of flavors such as white, yellow, chocolate, and red velvet cupcakes. You also don’t have to use cake mix. Feel free to make your own homemade cupcakes such as these deliciously festive Pumpkin Cupcakes. If you want to make gluten free cupcakes, go right ahead and use your favorite gluten free cake mix.
Of course! Cream cheese frosting would taste great, or any other flavor of buttercream frosting. Basically anything that you can pipe.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerator: store your leftover frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend bringing them to room temperature slightly before eating.
- Freezer: unfrosted cupcakes freeze great for up to 2 months. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag and thaw out in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for a few hours before you plan to frost and serve.
Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box Cake Mix, any flavor
- 24 large Gummy Eyeballs
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-6 tablespoons milk
- 7-8 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Make and bake cupcakes according to the instructions on the back of the box. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy using the whisk attachment.
- Add half of the powdered sugar, the vanilla extract, and half of the milk. Whip on low speed to combine, then increase to high and whip until light and fluffy again. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the rest of the milk about a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency (Note: you may not need it all).
- Divide the frosting into 3 seperate bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl to make different colors. (Note: To make chocolate frosting, just add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder and an extra teaspoon of milk until you reach the desired consistency.)
- Add the first color of frosting to a piping bag with a large tip and pipe onto 1/3 of the cupcakes. Repeat with the other colors of frosting.
- Top each with a candy eyeball, or any other decorative Halloween treats. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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These creepy cyclops Eyeball Cupcakes are the perfect Halloween party dessert. They’re made with store bought cake mix, buttercream frosting, and spooky gummy eyeballs.
