Dark Chocolate Spiderweb Cupcakes

It’s that spooky time of year again! I love to celebrate Halloween. Every year, I decorate the house with cute pumpkins, black cats, and other cute (but not too scary) Halloween decor.

My favourite thing to do for the occasion is to bake a special treat. Since trick-or-treating is not really something many people do here in Australia, where Halloween is still just becoming well-known, we don’t dress up in costumes or go out on Halloween. We enjoy our own homemade treats instead. (Ok, full disclosure… I do buy a couple of small bags of candy to pass out to any potential trick-or-treaters who might knock on our door, knowing that there is a 99.9% chance that no one will show up, and we will get to eat the candy ourselves.)

Halloween is an American tradition that I love to share with my family. Being an American living in Australia, I like to carry on some of the traditions I grew up with in my own family, to help my children feel a connection to America. Making a treat, each year, makes the occasion feel more personal and more special, to me.

My little boy often likes to help me bake, especially when it comes to the fun treats we make for Halloween. Anything with chocolate or candy eyes will definitely get him excited to help! These delicious dark chocolate spiderweb cupcakes were so much fun to make. Needless to say, they did not last long. We each had one just as soon as the icing had set. My son had one while it was still warm. Expecting a small child to wait until icing has cooled is asking a lot. He didn’t mind it being a little messy.

These chocolate cupcakes are so good. The cakes are tender and moist, and the melted chocolate icing is really decadent. I recommend using good quality chocolate for the icing. The better the chocolate, the better the cupcakes will be. I like using 70% cocoa Lindt chocolate for the dark chocolate. I’m ok with using white chocolate melts, for the spiderwebs, though, since it is just a small amount.

Happy Halloween! I hope you will enjoy these cute and delicious cupcakes as much as my family did.

• Servings: 12
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These sweet, spooky chocolate cupcakes are so good. The cakes are tender and moist, and the melted chocolate icing is really decadent. I recommend using good quality chocolate for the icing. The better the chocolate, the better the cupcakes will be.

Cake recipe adapted slightly from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Icing recipe adapted from Kitchen Sanctuary.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled)
• 1/2 cup (45g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted butter)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
• A dash of cinnamon (optional)

Icing:

• 500g dark chocolate (I like 70% cocoa Lindt), chopped (or use dark chocolate melts, such as Cadbury’s)
• 250g white chocolate

Directions

To bake the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners/ pattypans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (if using), and salt together until thoroughly combined. Set the bowl aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil (or butter), and vanilla together until the mixture is completely smooth.
4. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then add half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the addition of remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix, or the cakes will turn out rubbery. The batter will be thin.
5. Spoon the batter into the liners/ pattypans. Fill only halfway, to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking. (This is very important!)
6. Bake cupcakes for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely before icing.

To ice the cupcakes:

1. Prepare the dark chocolate and white chocolate in separate ceramic or Pyrex bowls or measuring cups by melting in the microwave in 30-second increments. Stir in between each time.
2. Spoon 3 Tbsp of the melted white chocolate into a piping bag with a very fine tip.
3. For each cupcake, spoon on a tablespoon of melted dark chocolate and smear it around so it covers the top of the cake.
4. Next, pipe three concentric circles of melted white chocolate on top. Use a toothpick to drag lines from the center to the outside of the cupcake, to look like a spider web. Six or seven lines look good. You need to work quickly, before the chocolate firms up.
5. Allow icing to set before serving cupcakes.

Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

This recipe was created by Kim Sequoia for a delicious moment.

All written content and photos are copyright Kim Sequoia 2019 for a delicious moment.