90 minutes | 24 | holiday and events | kid friendly
Have a sweet and spooky Halloween with these raspberry red velvet cupcakes. Raspberry puree flavors the blood red cupcakes that are then topped with berry bats and spiders. There should be plenty of frosting for the cupcakes and for any extra decorative icing you want to do on top.
Cupcakes
PREHEAT oven to 180°C.
LINE 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
PLACE all-purpose flour into a large bowl.
ADD cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
WHISK to combine ingredients and SET ASIDE flour mixture.
PRESS 170 grams raspberries through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and DISCARD seeds.
MEASURE OUT 80 ml of puree and PLACE into a separate small bowl. (RESERVE remaining puree for frosting and SET ASIDE.)
ADD buttermilk, 1 tablespoon red food coloring, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
STIR to combine ingredients.
SET ASIDE raspberry mixture.
PLACE 350 grams granulated sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer.
ADD 115 grams butter.
BEAT ingredients 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
ADD 3 eggs, one at a time, with mixer on low speed and SCRAPE DOWN sides of bowl as needed.
ADD 1/3 of flour mixture to mixing bowl and BEAT just until combined. Do not overmix.
ADD 1/2 of raspberry mixture to mixing bowl and BEAT just until combined. Do not overmix.
ADD half of remaining flour mixture to mixing bowl and BEAT just until combined. Do not overmix.
ADD remaining raspberry mixture to mixing bowl and BEAT just until combined. Do not overmix.
ADD remaining flour mixture to mixing bowl and BEAT just until combined. Do not overmix.
DIVIDE batter evenly between prepared muffin cups.
BAKE 23 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
REMOVE cupcakes from pans and COOL completely on wire rack.
Frosting
PLACE cream cheese into a medium bowl.
ADD 140 grams butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
BEAT ingredients with an electric mixer until blended.
ADD 300 grams confectioners' sugar.
BEAT again on low until combined.
DIVIDE frosting in half between 2 bowls.
STIR one tablespoon reserved raspberry puree into one bowl to create pink frosting and
ADD additional puree for a darker color if desired.
Raspberry Reduction
PRESS 170 grams raspberries through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and DISCARD seeds.
TRANSFER puree to small saucepan.
ADD 70 grams granulated sugar and 60 ml water.
BRING to a boil over medium heat.
COOK, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced by half.
ALLOW to cool completely.
TRANSFER raspberry reduction to a small piping bag or sandwich bag.
Decoration
FROST cupcakes with white and pink cream cheese frosting.
PIPE concentric circles on top of cupcakes with alternate color frosting or raspberry reduction.
USE a toothpick to gently drag icing from center to outside edge to create spider web design.
REMOVE one cupcake top with a serrated knife and CUT bat wings from top of cupcake.
USE blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and, decorating gel to create spiders or bats.
DIP edges of cupcakes in sprinkles to finish edges.
SERVE immediately.
