Get ready to unleash your inner baker this Halloween with these utterly adorable and incredibly delicious Halloween Mummy Cupcakes! Perfect for both kids and adults, these festive treats combine the rich, indulgent flavor of moist chocolate cupcakes with a playful royal icing design, transforming them into cute, friendly mummies rather than anything too spooky. Imagine soft, tender chocolate sponges crowned with swaths of creamy white icing and two wide candy eyes peering out – they’re sure to bring smiles and a touch of seasonal magic to any gathering.
This recipe isn’t just a treat for the taste buds; it’s also wonderfully quick, easy, and versatile, making it an ideal choice for busy spooky season preparations. Whether you’re hosting a full-blown Halloween bash, planning a cozy family movie night, or simply looking for a fun baking project, these mummy cupcakes are guaranteed to be a sensational hit. Their charming appearance makes them a fantastic centerpiece, while their irresistible flavor ensures they’ll disappear in no time!
If you’re on the hunt for other fun and easy Halloween recipes to complement your party spread, these mummy cupcakes pair wonderfully with our chocolate marshmallow Halloween bats or our decadent chocolate fudge spiderweb muffins. Together, they create a hauntingly good dessert table that will impress all your guests at any Halloween party or gathering. These recipes are designed to be approachable for bakers of all skill levels, ensuring a stress-free and enjoyable experience.
While this recipe shares similarities with our popular chocolate orange cupcakes recipe, these Halloween mummy cupcakes feature a special ingredient: buttermilk. The addition of buttermilk to the batter is the secret to achieving an exceptionally soft, incredibly tender, and wonderfully moist crumb that truly melts in your mouth. This simple tweak elevates the texture, making these chocolate delights even more irresistible.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Mummy Cupcakes
Crafting these easy mummy cupcakes starts with selecting the right ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving their delicious flavor and perfect texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why:
- Chocolate Chips: The quality of your chocolate significantly impacts the final taste of your cupcakes. Invest in the best quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate you can find. High-quality chocolate will create a richer, more profound chocolate flavor in the sponge, elevating the entire cupcake experience. Whether you prefer semi-sweet, dark, or even milk chocolate, make sure it’s a brand you love.
- Buttermilk: This unassuming ingredient is a game-changer for cupcake texture. Buttermilk reacts with baking soda to create a light, airy crumb, and its acidity tenderizes the gluten in the flour. This results in incredibly soft, fluffy, and tender cupcakes. For best results, ensure your buttermilk is at room temperature before adding it to the mixture; this helps it emulsify smoothly with the other wet ingredients, preventing lumps and ensuring an even bake. If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t worry – you can easily make a substitute at home (see our substitutions section for details).
- Royal Icing: For the iconic mummy bandage effect, we use royal icing. While you can certainly make your own from scratch, a good quality ready-made royal icing can save you time without sacrificing quality. The key is consistency: it needs to be stiff enough to hold its shape when piped, yet still pliable enough to flow smoothly. It should be thicker than the royal icing typically used for cookie decorating. If you’re unsure about consistency, a helpful visual guide (like the one mentioned in the original text) can be very beneficial. Alternatively, a stiff buttercream or cream cheese frosting can also work beautifully, provided it holds its piped shape well.
- Cocoa Powder: Essential for that deep, rich chocolate flavor. Opt for unsweetened natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa, depending on your preference for intensity and color. Dutch-processed cocoa tends to be darker and less acidic, creating a smoother chocolate flavor.
- Caster Sugar: This fine-grain sugar dissolves easily, contributing to the smooth texture of the batter and ensuring a sweet, balanced cupcake.
- Baking Soda & Salt: These leavening agents work in harmony with the buttermilk to give the cupcakes their lift and tender texture. Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Cold Coffee: This might seem unusual, but coffee doesn’t make your cupcakes taste like coffee; it dramatically deepens and intensifies the chocolate flavor, making it richer and more complex. Ensure it’s cold to avoid cooking the eggs prematurely when mixed.
- Vegetable Oil: Using oil instead of butter contributes to a wonderfully moist crumb that stays soft for longer. Vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil are all excellent neutral-flavored choices.
- Eggs: Large eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness to the cupcakes. Using room temperature eggs also helps them incorporate better into the batter, leading to a more consistent final product.
- Edible Candy Eyes: These are the quintessential decoration for mummy cupcakes, bringing them to life with a playful, slightly whimsical look. They are widely available in baking supply stores, especially around Halloween.
For the complete list of ingredients with precise measurements, along with detailed instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step-by-Step Baking Guide: Creating Your Mummy Cupcakes
Making these mummy Halloween cupcakes is incredibly straightforward, even for novice bakers. The process is simple: we’ll first combine our dry ingredients, then our wet ingredients, and finally, bring them all together to create a smooth, delicious batter. Follow these easy steps to bake and decorate your perfect Halloween treats:
Begin by sifting all your dry ingredients – flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt – into a large mixing bowl. Sifting helps to aerate the flour and prevent lumps. Use a whisk to gently combine these ingredients thoroughly, then fold in your chocolate chips. Stir well to ensure the chocolate chips are evenly distributed, preventing them from sinking to the bottom during baking.
In a separate, equally large bowl, combine all of your wet ingredients: the cold coffee, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and eggs. Whisk them together until they are well combined and the mixture appears smooth and consistent. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature (except the coffee, which should be cold) for optimal mixing and baking results.
Now, it’s time to bring everything together. Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the bowl containing the wet ingredients. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, gently mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter; overmixing can lead to tough cupcakes. Mix until no streaks of dry flour remain and you have a smooth, slightly runny batter.
Pre-heat your oven to 175°C (160°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin or cupcake baking tin with paper cupcake liners. Carefully divide the smooth batter evenly among the prepared cupcake cases, filling each no more than two-thirds full. This allows ample space for the cupcakes to rise without overflowing. Bake for approximately 22-24 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Baking Hint: Always ensure your coffee is completely cold before incorporating it into the wet ingredients. Adding hot coffee could inadvertently cook the eggs, which would ruin the texture of your batter and ultimately, your delicious cupcakes!
Once your chocolate cupcakes have baked to perfection, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. Patience is key here; decorating warm cupcakes will cause the icing to melt and slide off. Once fully cooled, they are ready to be transformed into our adorable Halloween mummy cakes!
To begin the mummification process, take your edible candy eyes. Apply a tiny dot of royal icing or frosting to the back of each eye. Carefully place and gently press two eyes onto the top of each cooled cupcake. Position them slightly above the center to give your mummies character and a place for their “bandages.”
Now for the fun part: piping the mummy bandages! Fill a piping bag fitted with a flat piping tip (such as a Wilton #47 or a similar basketweave tip) with your royal icing. Alternatively, if you don’t have a piping tip, you can snip a small corner off a zip-lock bag. Pipe horizontal lines of frosting across the top of each cupcake, starting from just below the eyes and working your way down. You can pipe them in neat, straight rows or create a more rustic, uneven, and tattered bandage look for an extra authentic mummy effect. Overlap some lines and leave small gaps to create depth. Serve these charmingly spooky treats and watch them vanish!
Decorating Hint: Want to add a pop of color to your mummy cupcakes? Experiment with gel food coloring! Add a few drops to your royal icing or buttercream to create bandages in different hues – perhaps a ghostly green, a spooky purple, or even a blood-red for a more ghoulish effect!
Expert Tips for Spooktacular Success
Achieving perfectly moist and beautifully decorated Halloween Mummy Cupcakes is easier than you think with a few expert tips:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Always ensure your eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature. This helps them emulsify better with the other ingredients, creating a smoother batter and a more uniform, tender crumb. Plan ahead and take them out of the fridge about 30-60 minutes before you start baking.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix only until just combined and no streaks of dry flour are visible. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, dense cupcakes. A few small lumps are perfectly fine and often result in a tenderer cake.
- Fill Cupcake Liners Correctly: For perfectly domed cupcakes that don’t overflow, fill your cupcake cases no more than two-thirds full. This leaves enough room for the batter to rise beautifully without spilling over the edges.
- Use a Reliable Oven Thermometer: Oven temperatures can vary significantly. An inexpensive oven thermometer ensures your oven is heating to the correct temperature, preventing over or under-baking and cracked tops.
- Cool Completely: This cannot be stressed enough! Attempting to decorate warm cupcakes will result in melted, sliding frosting. Allow your cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before applying any icing or decorations.
- Practice Piping: If you’re new to piping, don’t worry! Practice on a piece of parchment paper first. You can scrape the icing back into the bag. Experiment with different pressures and angles to get the hang of creating your mummy bandages. Imperfect lines actually add to the charm of a mummy!
- Quality Chocolate Matters: As mentioned in the ingredients section, using good quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate will significantly enhance the flavor of your chocolate cupcakes.
Substitutions to Fit Every Need
One of the best things about this recipe is its adaptability. Feel free to make these substitutions to suit dietary needs or ingredient availability, without compromising on flavor or fun:
- Cupcakes: Short on time or not keen on baking from scratch? You can easily swap our homemade chocolate cupcakes for your favorite store-bought plain chocolate cupcakes or a ready-made cake mix. Simply follow the package instructions for baking, then proceed with our fun decorating steps.
- Buttermilk: No buttermilk? No problem! You have several excellent alternatives. Use plain yogurt, soured cream, or kefir as a direct 1:1 substitute. Alternatively, you can make your own buttermilk by combining 100 ml of regular milk (dairy or non-dairy) with ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir it gently and let it sit for about 5 minutes; it will curdle slightly, mimicking buttermilk’s properties.
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil will work here. Sunflower oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil are all excellent choices that won’t overpower the chocolate flavor and will contribute to a wonderfully moist crumb.
- Coffee: While coffee enhances the chocolate flavor without being detectable, if you prefer not to use it, simply replace the 100 ml of cold coffee with the same amount of cold water or milk. The cupcakes will still be delicious!
- Sugar Eyes/Googly Eyes: If edible candy eyes aren’t available, get creative! Pipe small dots of white frosting as the base for the eyes. Then, use small chocolate chips (pointed side down) for the pupils, or use a tiny bit of melted chocolate piped on top. Small chocolate candies or even mini M&Ms can also work for a fun alternative.
- Royal Icing: The mummy effect relies on a frosting that holds its shape. If royal icing isn’t your preference, you can use any other stiff icing, frosting, or buttercream. Vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or even meringue frosting can be used, as long as it’s thick enough to pipe distinct lines and won’t spread too much. Ensure it’s not too soft; you might need to chill it slightly if it feels too runny.
Creative Variations for Your Mummy Masterpiece
These Halloween Mummy Cupcakes are fantastic as they are, but don’t hesitate to get creative with these variations to make them uniquely yours:
- Flavour Variations: Take your chocolate cupcakes to the next level with additional flavors. Introduce a hint of citrus with a teaspoon of orange extract or a tablespoon of fresh orange zest. For a nutty crunch, fold in a handful of finely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts into the batter. You can also mix in different types of chocolate chips – white chocolate, dark chocolate, or even a mix of both. A sprinkle of Halloween-themed sprinkles on top of the ‘bandages’ adds extra festivity. Consider adding a surprise filling to the cupcakes after baking, such as a dollop of raspberry jam, caramel, or chocolate ganache for an extra decadent bite.
- Different Cake Bases: While chocolate is classic, you can absolutely use any other cupcake flavor you love as the base. Imagine vanilla, red velvet, or even pumpkin spice cupcakes decorated as mummies! The decorating method remains the same, so choose your favorite cake flavor. As mentioned, shop-bought cake mix is also a fantastic shortcut if you’re short on time but still want the joy of decorating.
- Miniature or Large Cakes: This versatile cupcake batter isn’t just for standard cupcakes!
- Mini Cupcakes: For bite-sized mummy treats, use mini cupcake liners. Fill them only halfway, and significantly reduce the baking time to approximately 10-12 minutes. These are perfect for large parties or when you want smaller portions.
- Mummy Cake: Transform the batter into a small, two-layer chocolate cake. Use two 6-inch baking tins and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Once cooled, stack and frost the cake as one large mummy face, piping the bandages across the layers and adding the candy eyes. This makes for an impressive centerpiece!
Essential Equipment for Effortless Baking and Decorating
Having the right tools makes baking these Halloween Mummy Cupcakes an even more enjoyable experience. Here’s a list of the essential equipment you’ll need:
- Muffin/Cupcake Baking Tin: This recipe yields 12 delicious cupcakes, so a standard 12-hole baking tin is perfect. Ensure it’s clean and ready for liners.
- Silicone or Paper Cupcake Liners/Cases: These are essential for preventing sticking and making your cupcakes easy to handle. To enhance the festive Halloween theme, consider using spooky-themed cupcake liners – they add an extra touch of fun before the mummy transformation!
- Mixing Bowls: You’ll need at least two large mixing bowls – one for your dry ingredients and another for your wet ingredients. This keeps the initial mixing stages separate and tidy.
- Kitchen Whisk: A good sturdy whisk is indispensable for combining both dry and wet ingredients effectively and aerating them properly.
- Medium Jug or Pouring Vessel: Our cupcake batter is quite runny, which means pouring it into the cupcake cases from a jug is significantly easier and less messy than spooning it from a bowl. If you don’t have a suitable jug, an ice cream scoop or a large portioning scoop can also work wonders for neatly dividing the batter.
- Piping Bag or a Zip-Lock Style Bag: To create those iconic mummy bandages, a piping bag is essential. If you don’t have a dedicated piping bag, a sturdy plastic zip-lock bag makes a fantastic substitute. Simply fill it with icing and snip a small corner with scissors to create your own piping tip.
- Piping Tip: For the best mummy bandage effect, a flat piping nozzle is ideal. We recommend a Wilton #47 tip for its distinct ridged and flat sides, which creates realistic bandage lines. However, any flat piping nozzle or even a round tip (like a Wilton #12) can be used to pipe stripes, achieving a similar charming effect.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Proper storage ensures your Halloween Mummy Cupcakes remain fresh and delicious, whether you’re planning ahead or enjoying leftovers:
Storing Leftovers: Store any leftover decorated mummy cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. While they will remain safe to eat, please note that royal icing can dry out and become quite firm over time, which might slightly alter the texture of the “bandages.” For the best flavor and texture, it’s always recommended to enjoy them as fresh as possible, ideally within 2-3 days.
Make-Ahead Baking: To streamline your Halloween preparations, you can bake the chocolate cupcakes a day in advance. Once baked and completely cooled, store them covered at room temperature in an airtight container. Hold off on decorating them with the frosting and candy eyes until the day you plan to serve them. This ensures the icing is fresh and the overall presentation is at its best for your Halloween party.
Freezing Unfrosted Cupcakes: Unfrosted chocolate cupcakes freeze beautifully for longer storage. Once completely cool, place them in a single layer in an airtight freezer-safe container or wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer them to the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, bring them to room temperature before proceeding with frosting and decorating. This makes them perfect for preparing well in advance for large gatherings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mummy Cupcakes
Cupcakes often sink in the middle for a couple of common reasons. The most frequent culprits are overfilling the cupcake cases with batter or over-mixing the batter ingredients. To prevent sinking, always ensure you fill each cupcake case no more than two-thirds of its capacity; this allows plenty of room for the cupcake to rise properly without collapsing. Additionally, when combining wet and dry ingredients, mix just until they are incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Over-mixing develops gluten, which can lead to a dense crumb that may sink.
No, you absolutely don’t have to use coffee if you prefer not to. The cold coffee in this recipe is primarily added to enhance and deepen the rich flavor of the chocolate, making it more intense and complex. Once the cupcakes are baked, the coffee flavor itself is not detectable. If you choose to omit it, simply replace the 100 ml of cold coffee with an equal amount of cold water or milk. Your chocolate mummy cupcakes will still turn out wonderfully moist and delicious!
Cracked tops on cupcakes typically indicate that the oven temperature was too high. When the oven is too hot, the outside of the cupcake bakes and sets too quickly, forming a crust, while the inside is still rising rapidly. This causes the crust to split or crack under the pressure. To avoid this in the future, try lowering your oven temperature slightly next time, or ensure your oven thermometer is accurate. Even if your cupcakes have cracks, rest assured they will still be incredibly delicious! Plus, the generous layer of frosting and icing you’ll pipe on top will beautifully cover most, if not all, of those minor imperfections, so no one will ever know.
Yes, you can certainly adapt these mummy cupcakes to be gluten-free! Simply substitute the plain/all-purpose flour with a good quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum for best results, as this helps with structure. Follow the rest of the recipe as instructed. Baking times might vary slightly, so keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking process. The texture will be very similar, and they’ll be just as delicious!
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Halloween Mummy Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12 hole muffin tin
- cupcake liners
- kitchen whisk
- large jug or an ice cream scoop
- Piping bag
- piping tip
Ingredients
- 175 g plain/ all purpose flour
- 180 g caster sugar
- 30 g cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 100 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 100 ml cold coffee
- 100 ml buttermilk *see notes for the alternative
- 110 ml vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
For the topping and decoration:
- royal icing/ buttercream/ frosting of choice
- edible eyes/ candy eyes
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (160°C fan). Line the cupcake/ muffin baking tin with the cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to combine them, the add the chocolate chips/ chopped chocolate and stir again to combine.175 g plain/ all purpose flour, 180 g caster sugar, 30 g cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 100 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix everything to combine, until you have smooth, runny batter.100 ml cold coffee, 100 ml buttermilk, 110 ml vegetable oil, 2 large eggs
- Transfer the batter into a large jug or a pouring vessel (alternatively use an ice cream scoop) and fill each case no more than up to ⅔ of it’s capacity. Place in the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating. To decorate, add a small amount of icing/ buttercream into the back of the sugar eyes and stick them on top of each cupcake.
- Pipe the lines of icing/ buttercream on top of each cupcake to create the mummy look. You can also add some food colouring to the icing/ buttercream to create different colours. Serve and enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
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Notes
- This recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes. Make sure to only fill the cupcake cases up to ⅔ of their capacity.
- The batter is quite wet and runny, it is much easier to transfer it to the cupcake cases if you use a large jug or a pouring vessel.
- Buttermilk substitute – to make your own buttermilk, mix ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar with 100 ml of milk. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. Use as per the recipe instructions.
Storage and freezing:
Store any leftover cupcakes in the airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The icing/ frosting will dry out with time, so it is always to eat them fresh.
Cupcakes can also be prepared a day ahead. Keep them covered at room temperature and decorate on the day you want to serve them.
Unfrosted cupcakes can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and bring to room temperature before decorating.