Ghost Cupcakes

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Made with a delectable chocolate sponge base and sweet homemade 7-minute frosting, these moist and spooky ghost cupcakes are the perfect Halloween dessert for all ages!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

100 g Granulated Sugar
100 g Brown sugar
80 g Vegetable Oil
120 g Whole milk room temperature
120 g Freshly brewed coffee room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 Egg room temperature
180 g All purpose flour
50 g Cocoa powder
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking soda

7-Minute Frosting

250 g Granulated sugar
120 g Egg white
1 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ tablespoon Vanilla extract
½ teaspoon Salt
edible food paint, melted chocolate, or black sugar pearls to decorate the "ghost"

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Chocolate cupcakes

Prepare your cupcake tin by lining it with muffin liners and preheat your oven to 175℃ / 347℉ (no fan).
With an electric hand mixer, whip together the wet ingredients for 1-2 minutes: room temperature egg, oil, sugar, coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
Sift dry ingredients together; flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt then pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold just until combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the cavities of your cupcake tin, filling each one about ¾ full.
Bake the chocolate cupcake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake them, as they can dry out.
Cool the baked cupcakes on a cooling rack. They must be at room temperature before frosting.

7-minute Frosting

Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Properly clean your mixing bowl and whisk attachment by wiping them down with vinegar. Alternatively, use your electric hand mixer.
Make a double boiler by placing a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Mix the egg whites and sugar in the bowl over the double boiler and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 160F / 71C. This will take about 5 minutes, but focus on the temperature, not the time.
Make the meringue; add the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and start whipping it at medium-high speed. After a minute, add the lemon juice or cream of tartar.
Continue whipping for an overall of 6-7 minutes until shiny, stiff peaks are achieved - the bowl of your mixer should not be hot at this point.
Lastly, add the vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping for another few seconds. At this point, the 7-minute frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture. If, for some reason, it is too thin, either whip it longer or refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Assemble

Move the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round piping nozzle. Frost the cupcakes, and decorate with edible food paint or melted chocolate or black sugar pearls to create the "ghosts".
The cupcakes are best served fresh. Any leftovers can be stored refrigerated for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

Notes

You might be able to make more or less cupcakes with this recipe, depending on the size of the cupcake tin cavities.

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
All cupcake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, coffee, and milk.
Make sure your egg white is free from any egg yolk - that would not make it possible to whip it up correctly
There is no vegan substitute for this recipe, as eggs are key to its success
For the best flavor, it is key to use high-quality vanilla; feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.

Technique notes:

Make sure you read my Expert Tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone cannot cover all the necessary details and science behind baking.
A digital scale is required for a consistent, happy baking experience.
Do not overwork the cupcake batter. After whipping the wet ingredients, switch to a rubber spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.
Always preheat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
Baking these cupcakes takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaked cupcakes. Do not overbake them, as that will result in a dry texture.
The temperature of the water bath is key. You don't want it to be too hot as that would scramble the egg white.
If you do not have a thermometer, another way to check the sugar egg white mixture is whether the sugar is fully dissolved (it should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
Note that the 7-minute frosting texture is best when the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours.

Nutrition