Halloween is one of our favourite times of year, and nothing gets us into the spirit quite like baking a batch of spooky Halloween cupcakes! In Ireland, Halloween has always been a big tradition — the excitement builds as soon as October begins.
In our house, we love getting crafty and creative in the lead-up to Halloween. The kids dive straight into carving their pumpkins , we make spooky decorations for the windows, and, of course, spend far too long deciding on costumes. There’s always a bit of friendly debate over who gets to wear what this year as we up-cycle old costumes most years!
One of our favourite traditions is spending the afternoon together in the kitchen, whipping up some Halloween-themed bakes before settling down for a cosy movie marathon. These Spooky Halloween cupcakes are always a hit — they’re simple enough for little hands to help with and make the perfect treat to enjoy while watching a spooky film.
Our Perfect Halloween Movie Night
There’s something truly magical about our Halloween movie nights that I just love. I string up the fairy lights, and set out a few flickering electric candles to give the room that spooky glow. The kids get into their costumes (even if it’s just for watching the movie), and we settle in with big bowls of popcorn, a tray of freshly baked cupcakes, and mugs of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows. It’s the perfect way to spend an evening together — cozy, fun, and full of little moments that make Halloween feel extra special. These are the kinds of memories I cherish, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
I’d love to hear about your favourite Halloween activities! Comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your spooky movie night photos over on Instagram @littleloucooks — I can’t wait to see how you’re celebrating this spooky season!
Spooky Halloween Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 g butter softened
- 120 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 175 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100 ml whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Buttercream:
- 500 g icing sugar
- 180 g butter softened
- 1 teaspoon whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 170ºC. Line a cupcake tray with Halloween baking cakes. Measure the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until light and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.
- Crack in the egg and beat well.
- Sieve the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl, mix well. Measure the milk into a jug and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Sieve HALF the flour and pour HALF the milk into the main mixing bowl, beat until smooth.
- Sieve in the other half of the flour and pour in the other half of the milk, don’t beat this time. Just stir to combine.
- Scoop into the cupcake tray. Don’t overfill the cupcakes, leave room. rise. Bake for 12-18 minutes, use a cocktail stick to check they’re done.Set aside to cool competely
- For the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar for about 5 minutes until its really light and fluffy, add the milk to loosen. Put half into a piping bag and add orange colouring to the other half, beat again and put in a second piping bake.
- Decorate the cooled as you wish!
- Store for up to 3 days at room temperature.
