It’s Halloween time! You can bake several cupcakes using official Halloween colors ; orange and black.

Cupcakes ingredients (makes 12).

• 1 stick softened butter.
• 1 cup light brown sugar.
• 2 eggs.
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour.
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
• ¾ cup milk.

Frosting ingredients

• 9 oz of cream cheese, chopped, at room temperature.
• 1 ½ cups if confectioners’ sugar.
• Orange (or red + yellow) food coloring.
• Black food coloring.

Directions for cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F and line a standard cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
2. Put the softened butter and sugar in a bowl. Using a electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat eggs, one a time, until combine.
4. In a different bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and cocoa powder.
5. Add the second bowl to the butter mixture in two batches alternating with milk mixing to form a smooth batter.
6. Using two spoons, fill about ¾ of each paper cupcake liners.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake tests clean.
8. To cool, transfer to a wire rack.

Directions for frosting

1. In a bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar with a electric mixer until smooth.
2. Separate 2 tablespoons of frosting in a small bowl.
3. Add orange (or red and yellow) food coloring to the big bowl to make a orange frosting.
4. Add black food coloring to frosting’s rest.
5. Fill a pastry bag with orange frosting and decorate each cupcake using your favorite pastry tip.
6. Fill a pastry bag with black frosting and make the details.

Serving suggestions

1. You can use several candies to top the cupcakes.
2. You can fill the cupcakes with pumpkin butter. Yummy!

Cupcakes with orange frosting

Decorated cupcakes.