Creepy Cake N Bake: Witch Cupcakes

To me Halloween has always meant witches. As a kid, I dressed up like a witch almost every year, and now that I'm advancing in age, I invite my fellow crones to a special Witches Luncheon on Halloween. Naturally my creepy baking traditions are witchy too!

I begin with black bottom cupcakes, a college dorm favorite, and since I trick-or-treated into my mid-twenties (young for a witch, I assure you), they fit nicely into our family traditions. Here's our fifteenth batch of witch cupcakes:

Black Bottom Cupcakes 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tins! The recipe says it will make 24, but I usually only net 18 or so after a bit of "potion testing," if you know what I mean...

Step #1 In a small mixing bowl beat the following ingredients to create the filling:
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Next stir in:
6 ounces (about 2/3 cup or so) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Now set this mixture aside.

Step #2 Sift together the following:

1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of sugar

Set this mixture aside too.

Step #3 In a mixing bowl combine:

1 cup of water
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Step #4 Now combine the sifted dry ingredients with the water/oil/vinegar mixture. Beat on high until smooth. Note: the batter will be a tad thin & won't taste as rich as many chocolate cake batters. That's okay, I promise!

Step #5 Cupcake Time!

Fill your cupcake liners about 1/3 full with the chocolate batter. Top each with a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese mixture. Bake for up to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, or the cream cheese on top turns a golden brown.

Frost with cream cheese frosting, tinted your best witchy green. To create the witches, you'll need: peanuts in the shell, candy eyes, red gummy candy (cut to make mouths), mini chocolate chips, and black shoe-string licorice.

Here's a short video about how to decorate your cupcakes (I apologize for the shakiness--my videographer was on a bit of a sugar high!)



The Creepy Cake N Bake-a-Thon is ON! Vote for your favorite entry by commenting below. You can comment on EVERY Cake N Bake post, one entry per post, for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble or an official Creepy Cake N Bake doll! Please include your email in order to be entered to win. Trophies will be awarded on Halloween for the top creeptastic creations. Winners will be chosen by our special Celebrity Judge, Adam Rex, author of such deliciously creepy creations such as FAT VAMPIRE, FRANKENSTEIN TAKES THE CAKE, FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH, and PSSST!

Check the list of contestants and their post dates so you don't miss any of the fun: Mon Oct. 3 - Saundra Mitchell Wed Oct 5 - Stacey Jay Friday Oct 7 - Erin Dionne Saturday Oct 8 - Sydney Salter Mon Oct 10 - Brenna Yovanoff Wed Oct 12 - Tara Hudson Friday Oct 14 - Karen Healey Saturday Oct 15 - Robin Bridges Mon Oct 17 - Michelle Zink Wed Oct 19 - Julia Karr Friday Oct 21 - Victoria Schwab Saturday Oct 22 - C.Lee McKenzie Sunday Oct 23 - E. Kristin Anderson Mon Oct 24 - Natalie Zaman Wed Oct 26 - Stephanie Burgis Friday Oct 28 - Dawn Metcalf

Thanks for joining me for our Creepy Cake N Bake!