These not-so-spooky monster cupcakes are decked out in vibrant Halloween-colored frosting and candy eyeballs. Create these cute cupcakes in a snap with a box of cake mix, a tub of vanilla frosting, and gel food coloring!
Why this recipe works
Look no further if you’re on the hunt for a super easy Halloween dessert idea. These monster cupcakes are great for spooky get-togethers or even for monster-themed birthday parties. Simply bake the cupcakes using a cake mix, divide then mix a tub of frosting with your choices of gel food color, pipe, and decorate.
You can easily use this design on top of sugar cookies as well, similar to how we made our cute mummy cookies! Or bake an entire 13×9 cake, pipe on the fluffy “hair” and decorate with candy eyeballs all over.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CUPCAKES – The beauty of these cupcakes lies within the convenient ingredients, however, you can definitely mix up a batch of homemade chocolate, vanilla, or oreo cupcakes if you wish.
FROSTING – Again, we’re opting for store-bought here by using a tub of vanilla buttercream frosting. But of course, we have homemade buttercream frosting for you to use as well!
FOOD COLOR – I highly suggest using gel food coloring if you want to achieve beautiful vibrant colored frosting. A little goes a long way with gel food coloring, so start small with the amount you add to the frosting until the desired color is reached.
CANDY EYEBALLS – You can purchase candy eyeballs in the baking section at your grocery store. You can also purchase them online in varying sizes and colors.
How to Make Monster Cupcakes
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Prepare yellow cake mix according to the package instructions for cupcakes.
- Bake 24 cupcakes according to package directions and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cupcakes cool, divide the vanilla buttercream frosting into four small bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl until you reach your desired shades.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with a frosting knife or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes with a fun tip. I used Wilton Star Tip #18 for these.
- Decorate the cupcakes by placing various sized eyeball candy onto the tops. Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store the monster cupcakes in an air-tight container or cupcake carrier for transportation. They can be kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Absolutely! You can prepare, bake, and pipe on the frosting a day in advance and store the cupcakes in an air-tight container until you are ready to serve them.
Serving Suggestions
Serve monster cupcakes with other Halloween-themed goodies. You can add sprinkles or pipe a mouth onto the monster using black decorator gel to take it even further. Enjoy the cupcakes chilled or at room temperature, it’s up to you!
If you are making them for a monster-themed birthday party, check out my craft blog where I have a bunch of monster crafts to create with the kids.
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix prepared using ingredients on the back of the box
- 16 ounces vanilla buttercream frosting 1 tub, or homemade
- blue, purple, green, and orange gel food coloring
- candy eyeballs in varying sizes
Things You’ll Need
- 13×9 baking dish
- Mixing bowls
- Wilton Star Tip #18 optional for piping
Before You Begin
- The beauty of these cupcakes lies within the convenient ingredients, however, you can definitely mix up a batch of homemade chocolate, vanilla, or oreo cupcakes if you wish.
- Again, we’re opting for store-bought here by using a tub of vanilla buttercream frosting. But of course, we have homemade buttercream frosting for you to use as well!
- I highly suggest using gel food coloring if you want to achieve beautiful vibrant colored frosting. A little goes a long way with gel food coloring, so start small with the amount you add to the frosting until the desired color is reached.
- You can purchase candy eyeballs in the baking section at the grocery store. You can also purchase them online in varying sizes and colors.
Instructions
- Prepare yellow cake mix according to the package instructions for cupcakes.
- Bake 24 cupcakes according to package directions and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cupcakes cool, divide the vanilla buttercream frosting into four small bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl until you reach your desired shades.
- Frost the fullycooled cupcakes with a frosting knife or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes with a fun tip. I used Wilton Star tip #18 for these.
- Decorate the cupcakes by placing various sized eyeball candy onto the tops. Serve and enjoy!
