Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes

These are more than Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes. They’re witch Cupcakes and they’re both easy AND gluten free.

On the wrong side of 40 something clicks in your brain and you just don’t care anymore. It’s a short and slippery slope from here in and I am afraid that I want to have a laugh as I slide my way into the never never. Didn’t you always wonder why the older people in the family relished a wedding or a BBQ or a gathering and reunion. It is an old saying that fun is wasted on the young and it’s true. By the time you really start looking forward to social events that’s about the time they seem to dry up.

I  was invited to a Christmas BBQ. It was billed on the invitation as a “Retro Party” which of course means you dress up, doesn’t it? My sister “Le-Le” was visiting and she also loves a bit of fun (must be a family trait), and while out and about making nuisances of ourselves she helped me assemble a costume from treasures at the second hand store and reclaimed items in my wardrobe. This gave us hours of entertainment snickering and laughing at the various additions to my costume, playing the music to match and making memories that we can refer back to when I tell you what happened next.

Witches leg cupcakes

It was a warm day and everyone was out at the pool when I arrived late. I met several other party goers at the front door, who were looking just like themselves – in jeans and tee-shirts, they looked at me with surprise but said nothing as we entered the house.  I felt that was a bit worrying as I walked up a set of stairs and down a long straight walk way with the pool on one side and the garden fence on the other. Everyone was up under a tree in the far corner and all stopped talking to stare at me as I walked towards them dressed as Madonna with my fishnet singlet, headscarf, heavy make up, black boots and skirt. All that could be heard was the jangling of my crucifixes and chain belts. As I approached the group I could see that not one other person had bothered to dress up. What on earth do you do with a situation like that?.  When your heart stops beating out of your chest and you just wanna’ have fun ……you ask where the hell your drink is…?

How to make Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes of the Gluten Free Kind

These cupcakes are a bit of fun too. Although they are not really all that original they are a laugh. I had some left over cupcakes and icing from another cake I was making so put these together as a quick Halloween fix.  I do hope that if you dress up at Halloween you won’t be the only fun one in the room.

Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes

Gluten free and moist these fun cupcakes will get you in the mood for Halloween

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 250 gm butter
• 250 gm caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 50 gm cocoa dark Dutch
• 250 gm almond meal (or other gluten free substitute) or hazelnut meal
• 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• 40 ml milk 2 Tablespoons

Cream Cheese icing

• 125 gm butter leave out to soften
• 150 gm cream cheese softened
• 150 gm icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon Juice
• 5 ml vanilla fresh or extract

Instructions

 

• Oven 180 C /350 F 12-16 cupcake papers in black or brown
• Beat the softened butter till light and add the caster sugar and keep beating till white and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time then the sifted cocoa and baking powder then the almond or hazelnut flour (or alternative) and then the milk. Beat well to combine and fluff and then divide into cupcake papers.
• The mixture only rises a very small amount, so you can fill to just below the top.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or till firm to touch
• Cool. Before spreading with icing
• Beat the second lot of softened butter till light then add the softened cream cheese and beat again. Add very finely grated lemon zest and lemon juice the gradually add sifted pure icing sugar 1/2 at a time. Taste, if you like it sweeter add a little bit, more sugar (up to 1/4 cup) and beat well.
• Put into a pipping bag or spread icing onto cooled cakes.
• You can make the boots by moulding the soft liquorice into shoe shapes with your hands. Use a pointy object like a skewer to make enough of a round whole to slot the straw into the boot.
• see the pictures on the blog post

Note, this liquorice is not gluten free

Pliable soft liquorice

Roll to shape

start making the boots

Ready to be put onto straws