Simple and time-saving Halloween mummy cupcakes

It’s nearly Halloween! Like last year, our third Autumn cupcake is a Halloween cupcake. This year, we’re sharing our simple Halloween mummy cupcakes, with time-saving tricks for an easy Halloween. This recipe is a great one to make with aspiring bakers.

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Time-saving tricks

We’re making this Halloween mummy cupcakes recipe as easy as possible because it really is about the decorations.

For the cupcake

Use any cupcakes you want. If you are making them fresh, use your favourite and easiest recipe, whatever that it. If you like, add some black food colouring to add to their gruesome nature. We used our moist chocolate cupcakes but forgot to add the black food colouring. You can’t really notice because the cupcakes are so dark. We recommend gel food colouring for more intense colours.

A packet cake mix would work perfectly fine, especially if shortages are making it difficult to find flour. If it is for a cake and not cupcakes, fill no more than two-thirds full and bake for half the time recommended for the full cake. Check them 5 minutes before the end of this time in case they are ready quicker. If you like, add some black (or green or orange) food colouring to the mix.

You could also use pre-made cupcakes or muffins and just change the decorations.

For the frosting

You will not need much frosting. If you can, try not to make it too sweet as the fondant itself is quite sweet.

We used the non-vegan version of our vegan chocolate frosting (with butter instead of margarine) and made half the amount that we normally use. We also added a little black food colouring to darken the background. This is optional.

If you are using store-bought frosting, try and pick a darker colour – chocolate would work well. You won’t need the full container – make sure you seal it well so that it keeps.

If you are using a frosting or icing mix that comes with your packet cupcake/cake mix, consider adding some food colouring to it.

For the fondant and eyes

I bought a packet of white fondant – yes, I am all about saving time too.

If you can’t get any pre-made fondant, you can make your own: this recipe with melted marshmallows and icing sugar looks relatively simple (and avoids the long list of ingredients that many recipes need). You will not need more than a quarter of it for this recipe.

If you have too much fondant, store it in a ziplock bag. Squeeze out the air. Place the fondant and the bag inside an airtight container and refrigerate. This should keep it soft and fresh for about two months.

I also bought some candy eyes for the decoration. If you can’t find any, use some of the fondant or white chocolate, together with dots of your frosting to make eyeballs.

Of course, if your apprentice baker is helping, applying the fondant and eyes might take a little longer than it would if you do it all yourself.

Tips for using fondant

I don’t use fondant very often – white I recognise its versatility, I am not a fan of the taste, nor do I have the patience to make it myself. These tips have been gathered from various sites around the web.

1. Add some flavouring and knead it into the fondant to improve the taste. Go steady – one drop at a time is best as you cannot remove it once you have added it.
2. Roll it out on a clean, dry surface dusted with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
3. Roll it out to 1/8 of an inch thick or thinner. If it is too thick, it will crack more easily.
4. Make sure your cupcakes have cooled completely before applying frosting and fondant.
5. You can easily add indents and patters to the fondant. It paints well too!
6. While you can generally make your fondant shapes two to three days in advance, in this case, don’t cut the mummy’s wrappings too far in advance as if you dry them flat, they will not drape over the natural curve of the Halloween cupcakes.
7. If your fondant gets hard and starts to crack, rub a bit of vegetable oil or margarine on your hands and fingers and knead the fondant. The warmth of your hands will make it smooth again. Do not use water as this will dissolve the fondant.

Make some easy and quick Halloween mummy cupcakes for Halloween

If you are looking for easy Halloween-inspired cupcakes to make with your apprentice bakers for the weekend, then these Halloween mummy cupcakes are perfect! Use as many of the time-saving tips as you wish in light of your time, food availability, patience and the abilities of your apprentice bakers.

Halloween will be somewhat different this year. How are you planning to celebrate?

Check out our other Autumn cupcakes

Oktoberfest cupcakes with beer caramel

Thanksgiving cupcakes: sweet potato cupcakes with marshmallow cream cheese frosting and caramelised pecans

Chai cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting

2019 Autumn cupcake quartet

Pumpkin spice cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting

Maple parsnip cupcakes with maple buttercream frosting

Black velvet cupcakes with creme patisserie slime and marshmallow cobwebs (Halloween)

Chocolate beetroot cupcakes with chocolate creme frâiche frosting

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