Super Simple Ghost Party! Chocolate Cupcake Recipe & Crafts!

Boo! Remember when I posted about my favorite craft book, Craft-A-Day? Well, Sarah Goldschadt (the brilliant author) and I used the ghost craft template from her book to make a little spooky part post for y'all!

The original plan was to make glow-in-the-dark cupcakes and toppers but (1) I couldn't get this frosting to work without tasting like total crud (2) The glow-in-the-dark paint wasn't quite glowy enough. C'est la vie! 

Fortunately Sarah's adorable (and easy!) ghost cupcake toppers and bat straws were just as festive in daylight: You can find how-to instructions for making the ghosts in Sarah's book, Craft-A-Day, and the bat template is available on her Etsy site, here! 

Now, for the cupcakes (these ones taste fabulous AND can be made vegan!):

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH GHOSTLY WHITE FROSTING

SERVES: 12

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water (or coffee!) 

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

FOR THE FROSTING

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature 

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening 

1 1-pound box confectioners' sugar (or to taste)

1 teaspoon clear vanilla or almond extract 

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners (I used these Wilton cupcake liners).

2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water, vanilla, vegetable oil and vinegar and whisk until combined (it's okay if the batter's a little lumpy). Divide the batter between the prepared cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

3. Make the frosting: Beat the butter and shortening with a mixer on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag, snip the corner and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. 

*If you want to make these cupcakes vegan / dairy-free, replace the 1 stick unsalted butter in the frosting with 4 more tablespoons vegetable shortening—that's how a lot of grocery store make their frosting!*

[Photos by Sarah Goldschadt, author of Craft-A-Day]