Both kids and adults will love these spooky Graveyard Cupcakes, topped with chocolate buttercream, a cookie gravestone, and Halloween candies. They’re a perfect Halloween party centerpiece that are as delicious as they are adorable.
Looking for more creative Halloween ideas? Try these spooky Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes, Halloween Punch, Graveyard Dirtcups, and Mummy Hotdogs.
Graveyard Cupcakes
These Halloween cupcakes are a total showstopper and surprisingly simple to pull together. Just top your favorite chocolate cupcakes with our easy homemade chocolate buttercream, crushed Oreo cookie “dirt,” decorated Milano cookie “gravestones,” and cute Halloween candies.
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If you want to save a little time, go the easy route and use a cake mix. Feel free to get creative with these and use any type of Halloween candies that will fit with the theme—gummy spiders, Halloween sprinkles, candy skulls, etc.
You could also turn this into a graveyard cake by baking a chocolate sheet cake, frosting with chocolate buttercream, and then decorating a spooky scene over the entire top. This would be great for a Halloween birthday!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Prepared Cupcakes – I recommend using chocolate cupcakes because it goes with the spooky graveyard theme, but any flavor will work great. You can use a store bought cake mix or make your favorite homemade cupcake recipe. If you can find cute Halloween themed cupcake liners it will really complete the look.
- Oreo Cookies – these still need to be crushed to make “dirt” for the cupcakes.
- Milano Cookies – Milano cookies work great because they are roughly the shape of a gravestone.
- Black Frosting – you can use either black frosting or black gel. It will be used to write on the cookie gravestones. If you decide to use a different cookie, you might need to use melted white chocolate or add food coloring to another type of frosting in order to have the writing show up well. Just use what will work with your own design.
- Gummy Worms – these are for decorating so feel free to substitute any other gummy candy that fits the theme.
- Halloween Candies – I like to use little candy pumpkins, bones, and black cats.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Butter – you need the butter to be room temperature and soft so that it will whip up well. Either pull out a couple hours ahead of time, or put into a microwave-safe container and heat for about 10 seconds at a time until soft.
- Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Milk – use whole milk, 2% milk or even heavy cream.
- Powdered Sugar – it’s always a good idea to sift your powdered or confectioners sugar through a fine mesh strainer.
- Cocoa Powder – the better the quality cocoa powder, the better your chocolate frosting will taste. I recommend using a high-quality cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli or Guittard.
How to Make Graveyard Cupcakes
- Make cupcakes. Make Chocolate Cupcakes according to the package instructions, then allow to cool completely.
- Prepare the garnish. Add the Oreo cookies to a plastic bag and crush with a glass cup or rolling pin until the crumbs resemble “dirt” sized texture. To make the gravestone, place the Milano cookies on a baking tray. Add the black frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip. Write the letters “RIP” on the gravestone, then set aside to let the writing set up.
- Make the buttercream. Place soft room temperature butter into the large bowl of a stand mixer and whip with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, half of the powdered sugar and half of the milk. Mix on low to combine, then increase to medium high speed and whip until light and fluffy – about 2 more minutes. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the milk a half tablespoon at a time, whisking until you reach the desired consistency.
- Assemble the cupcakes. Spread a couple tablespoons of frosting over the top of a cupcake. Dip the frosted cupcake into the Oreo crumbs, making sure to coat the entire top of the cupcake. Garnish with the Milano cookie, gummy worm, and halloween candy.
- Serve. Store in the fridge for 30 minutes or serve immediately. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Once decorated, these cupcakes are best served the day they are made because the candy gets soft and the gummy worms get soggy. If you need to make them beforehand, you can make both the cupcakes and the frosting in advance. Cupcakes can be made and stored at room temperature overnight, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. The frosting can be made the day before or stored in the fridge for a few days – it will just need to be re-whipped before using.
I suggested using chocolate cupcakes in this post because it fits with the theme, but any flavor will work great. You can use a store bought cake mix, or make your own homemade cupcakes. These Pumpkin Cupcakes would be a great option.
I don’t recommend freezing the frosted cupcakes just because they will look and taste so much nicer if you freeze them separately. It also doesn’t really save you all that much time! If you plan to freeze the cupcakes, let them cool completely before storing in a single layer in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months.
You can freeze the frosting in freezer bags for the same amount of time. Thaw the frosting in the fridge overnight, then pull to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before whipping until light and fluffy.
Storing Instructions
- Refrigerator: leftover frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend removing any candy and other garnish first because it will get soggy in the fridge.
- Freezer: you can freeze baked cupcakes that are unfrosted for up to 2 months.
Graveyard Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 24 prepared Chocolate Cupcakes
Garnish
- 36 regular Oreo Cookies, cream included, crushed
- 24 regular Milano Cookies
- 5 tablespoons Black Frosting , or Black Gel
- 24 Gummy Worms
- 48 small Halloween Themed Candies, Candy Pumpkins, Bones, or Cats
Chocolate Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Make Chocolate Cupcakes according to the package instructions, then allow to cool completely.
Prepare the Garnish
- Add the Oreo cookies to a plastic bag and crush with a glass cup or rolling pin until the crumbs resemble "dirt" sized texture.
- To make the gravestone, place the Milano cookies on a baking tray. Add the black frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip. Write the letters "RIP" on the gravestone, then set aside to let the writing set up.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Place soft room temperature butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes.
- Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, half of the powdered sugar and half of the milk. Mix on low to combine, then increase to medium high speed and whip until light and fluffy – about 2 more minutes.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the milk a half tablespoon at a time, whisking until you reach the desired consistency.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Spread a couple tablespoons of frosting over the top of a cupcake. Dip the frosted cupcake into the Oreo crumbs, making sure to coat the entire top of the cupcake.
- Garnish with the Milano cookie, gummy worm, and halloween candy.
- Store in the fridge for 30 minutes or serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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These Halloween Graveyard Cupcakes are as delicious as they are adorable. Decorate with basic ingredients like chocolate frosting, Oreo crumbles, Milano cookies, and themed Halloween candies for a simple Halloween party dessert.
