Ghost Cupcakes!
Chocolatey and delicious chocolate cupcakes topped with an italian meringue to make cute and spooky ghost cupcakes for Halloween!
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Servings: 12 Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 125 g self raising flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 3 medium eggs
Italian Meringue Topping
- 185 g granulated sugar
- 85 ml water
- 100 g egg whites
- Melted dark chocolate
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Heat your oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and line a cupcake/muffin tin with 12 large cupcakes cases/muffin cases
- Beat the butter with the light brown sugar until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs, self-raising flour and cocoa powder with the butter/sugar mix until well combined
- Spoon the mix into the cupcake cases evenly and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer poked into one of the cakes comes out clean and they are springy to touch – leave them to cool fully on a wire rack.
For the Italian Meringue
- Pour the sugar and the water into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to boil, stir it occasionally with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil monitor the temperature until it reaches 120ºC (firm ball stage) with a sugar thermometer!
- When the mixture is heating up and boiling, if any sugar splashes up the side of the pan, brush the sides with a pastry brush and cold water to get rid of it – this will stop the mixture crystallising and messing up!
- Whilst the mixture is starting to get towards the temperature whisk the egg whites in your electric stand mixer! When the sugar syrup has reached the temperature and the egg whites are at stiff peaks start to pour the sugar syrup onto the egg whites at the edge of the bowl whilst still whisking – make sure you do this slowly so its a constant trickle of sugar syrup so that the egg whites stay smooth!
- Continue to whisk throughout whilst the sugar syrup is pouring in, and after its all whisked in continue to whisk the mixture fast and on a high speed for 5-7 minutes until the mixture is smooth, and has cooled down.
- To decorate the cupcakes – In a large disposable piping bag with a large round nozzle and pipe the meringue onto the cupcakes in little ghost shapes. It’s sometimes best to practice a couple separately first! I pipe the meringue on by pointing the nozzle downwards till it creates a bottom, then lift slightly. Then, I repeat again with a slightly smaller blob and lift to create a thin top!
- I then pipe on the tiniest little amount of dark chocolate to create eyes and a mouth but you could use fondant easily as well! Enjoy!
Notes
- I use these black cupcake cases for the recipes
- I use these large piping bags for this recipe
- I used this large round nozzle for this recipe
- I use this cookie scoop for portioning the cupcake mix
- I use this thermometer for the meringue to make it easier
- These cupcakes are best on the day of decorating, but do last for 2-3 days in the fridge (this may dry out the sponges)
- You can freeze the cupcake sponges for 3+ months