Monster Cupcakes
It's spooky season! These monster cupcakes are the perfect treat for the holiday. They may not be very spooky, but they are very adorable.
Ingredients
Yellow Cupcakes
- 2 and ¼ cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 and ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks (4 eggs total)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅛ tsp cream of tarter
Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4-6 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon heavy cream
- food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar. Cream the butter until it is very pale, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the sides down and place the mixer on medium-high to add in the eggs. Add in the two eggs, plus the two egg yolks one at a time. Make sure they are fully combined before adding in the next one. Next, beat in the vanilla.
- While the mixer is on low, add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients and then ½ of the buttermilk. Continue until all of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk are mixed in. The batter will be very thick so don't worry if it is looking a little bit lumpy.
- In a separate bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the remaining two egg whites with the cream of tarter. Beat on high until fluffy peaks form. When fluffy peaks form, fold the egg whites into the cake mix. Do this very carefully, as not to deflate the batter.
- Fill the cupcake tins about ¾ of the way full. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown. Let cool completely before decorating.
- For the frosting, cream the butter with a mixer or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until soft. Then add in the salt and vanilla.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Put the mixer on low so it does not go all over the place and make a powdered sugar cloud!
- About halfway through, add in the heavy cream. Continue to add the sugar until the proper consistency is reached. If it gets too thick you can add in more heavy cream. If it looks too thin, you can add in more powdered sugar.
- Separate the frosting as needed for how many colors you want to make. Follow the instructions on the package for the proper coloring instructions.
- Stack two of the cupcakes on top of each other to make the base of the monster. Then, using a piping bag, decorate away. Use different piping tools to create different designs. Add on the eyes when done piping. For the designs above, I used an open star, (18), round tip (3 and 4) and a drop flower tip (224). In order for the design to stick, place the cupcakes in the fridge for a few minutes when done decorating.
- The cupcakes should last 4-5 days in an airtight container. If you have extra frosting, that can be frozen.