How-To: Create These Devilishly Delicious Cupcakes!

Caitlin Daly
Oct 6, 2015
3 min read

Looking for an adorable treat for your Halloween party this year? Well, you've come to the right place!

What You'll Need:

1 dozen of your favorite devil's food cupcakes, baked in red or black cupcake papers
1½ cup raspberry jam
Red gel food coloring
4 oz black fondant
Piping bag, fitted with a large piping tip (Wilton 1A or Ateco 809)
Plastic wrap
3 cups of your favorite cream cheese frosting (buttercream can be substituted)
1 tea spoon
Mixing bowl and spatula
1 tbsp measuring spoon
Paring knife
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

Step 1: Prepare Your Cupcakes and Frosting

To start, we need to get those delicious cupcakes prepped to be covered in a decadent layer of frosting. Using your small spoon, gently carve out a chunk of cake from the top center of your cupcakes. It should be about the size of a quarter and about ½-¾ inch deep. Gently peel the crust off the chunk of cake and set aside. The cake scraps are great to save and freeze for cake pops or just eat as you go! Using your tablespoon measurement, drop a full tablespoon of raspberry jam into the cavities and top with the crusts.

Next, we need to color the frosting. Put all your frosting into your mixing bowl and begin to add your red food coloring. I specified gel coloring because it won't dilute the frosting as much as liquid food coloring will. This is important when you are trying to achieve a very rich color, like red. Begin mixing with your spatula, scraping the sides as your go to avoid streaks. Add more coloring as you go until you achieve a rich red color. If your food coloring is producing a really dark pink color, add a tablespoon of cocoa powder and mix until incorporated. The brown color will deepen your red and help to maintain the frostings consistency, Scoop enough icing into your piping bag to fill it about 2/3 of the way full. Twist the top closed to keep the icing from bursting out while you're piping.

Step 2: Shape the Devil Horns

It's time to create those adorable horns. You will need to make 24 horns. To start, knead your fondant on a surface dusted with corn starch until it's soft and pliable. Cut a piece of plastic wrap that's about 6" x 6". Next, roll it out into a snake that is about a dime size wide. Using your paring knife, cut the snake into 24 equal-size ball pieces. Start with one piece at a time, keeping the rest of the fondant under the plastic wrap so it won't dry out, roll the piece into a smooth ball in your hand. Holding the ball in your palm and using your index finger, continue to roll only one side of the ball until it resembles a tear drop shape. Take the tear drop and gently bend the point up just a little. You've made your first horn! Now continue with the other 23 horns.

Step 3: Decorate!

Now it's time to decorate those adorable cupcakes! Using your piping bag, begin at the edge of the cupcake and pipe a spiral around the top of the cupcake, overlapping and continuing up. When you get to the top, release pressure and pull away quickly to achieve a point. These need to be decently tall to attach the horns. Next, place two horns on either side of the icing mound on each cupcake. You now have a delicious dessert for any Halloween party!