In this baking tips blog post, I will show you How to Decorate Halloween Cupcakes 8 different ways! And don’t worry, these techniques are easy and of course, fun!

Halloween is so much fun! Between the candy, the costumes, the food, and the weather, it is just an all-around good time.

I have seen many creative Halloween sweet treats and wanted to share some of my favorite, easy cupcake designs to make for Halloween! I have selected 8 designs that I think are simple to make and of course, fun to eat.

In each section, I will break down for you the supplies you need for each design and the steps involved. I will also share a 1-minute TikTok video with each cupcake, so you can see how it is done!

Most of the designs are made with only buttercream frosting!

You can use any cupcake recipe that you would like! For the cupcakes, I used my Moist & Fudgy Chocolate Cupcake recipe. I also used my Vanilla American Buttercream and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipes to make these cupcakes as well!

1. Ghost Cupcakes

Supplies to make ghost cupcakes

• White buttercream frosting
• Black buttercream frosting
• Piping bags
• Large round piping tip
• Small round piping tip

How to make ghost cupcakes

1. Using a large round tip, pipe white buttercream frosting to create a swirl. Start in the center of the cupcake, work your way out, and then pull up to create an “ice cream swirl”.
2. Using a small round tip, pipe two small dots for eyes and one larger circle or oval to create a mouth.

2. Pumpkin Cupcakes

Supplies to make pumpkin cupcakes

• Orange buttercream frosting
• Green buttercream frosting
• Piping bags
• Large round piping tip
• Small round piping tip

How to make pumpkin cupcakes

1. Using a large round piping tip with orange buttercream frosting, pipe two “C” shapes on the edges of the cupcake.
2. Pipe two more “C” shapes slightly on top of the previous “C” shapes.
3. Pipe one line up the center of the “C” shapes.
4. Using the small round piping tip with green buttercream frosting, create a stem on the top of the pumpkin.
5. With the same piping tip and green buttercream, create a small swirl “vine” coming off of the stem.

3. Mummy Cupcakes

Supplies to make mummy cupcakes

• White buttercream frosting
• Black buttercream frosting
• Small offset spatula
• Piping bags
• Flat piping tip
• Small round piping tip

How to make mummy cupcakes

1. Using a small offset spatula, spread a thin layer of black buttercream frosting onto the top of the cupcake. Chill the cupcakes for about 10 minutes.
2. Using a flat piping tip with white buttercream, create lines of buttercream across and diagonally on the cupcake to mimic the appearance of bandages. Leave a small space of black toward the top of the cupcake.
3. In the open black space, use a small round piping tip to pipe white buttercream to create eyes.
4. Using a small round piping tip, pipe a small amount of black buttercream on the white eyes.

4. Halloween Surprise Cupcakes

Supplies to make Halloween surprise cupcakes

• Chocolate buttercream frosting
• Apple corer
• Piping bags
• Wilton 1M tip
• Halloween sprinkles

How to make Halloween surprise cupcakes

1. Use an apple corer to create a small hole in the top of the cupcake. Do not push the apple corer to the bottom – insert it about 2/3 of the way into the cupcake.
2. Fill the center of the cupcake with Halloween sprinkles.
3. Use a Wilton 1M tip to pipe an “ice cream swirl” pattern of chocolate buttercream frosting onto the cupcake.
4. Add additional Halloween sprinkles for decoration.

5. Skeleton Cupcakes

Supplies to make skeleton cupcakes

• White buttercream frosting
• Black buttercream frosting
• Piping bags
• Large round tip
• Small round tip
• Offset spatula

How to make skeleton cupcakes

1. Using a large piping tip and white buttercream, pipe a flat swirl of buttercream onto the cupcake.
2. Use a small offset spatula to smooth out the buttercream.
3. Using a small round tip and black buttercream frosting, create two oval eyes, two small lines for a nose, and a smile with small lines across it.

6. Candy Corn Cupcakes

Supplies to make candy corn cupcakes

• Orange buttercream frosting
• Yellow buttercream frosting
• White buttercream frosting
• Piping bags
• Large round piping tips

How to make candy corn cupcakes

1. Use a large round piping tip with orange buttercream frosting to create a flat swirl of buttercream on the cupcakes.
2. Next, use a large round piping tip with yellow buttercream frosting to create another swirl that is slightly smaller than the orange swirl.
3. Then, use a large round piping tip with white buttercream frosting to create a small swirl that is smaller than the yellow swirl.

7. Jack O’Lantern Cupcakes

Supplies to make Jack O’lantern cupcakes

• Orange buttercream frosting
• Black buttercream frosting
• Green buttercream frosting
• Small offset spatula
• Piping bags
• Large round piping tip
• Small round piping tip

How to make Jack O’lantern cupcakes

1. Use a large round piping tip with orange buttercream frosting to create a flat swirl of buttercream onto the cupcake.
2. Smooth the orange buttercream with a small offset spatula.
3. Use a small round piping tip with black buttercream to create a Jack O’Lantern face. Use your creativity to create fun or scary faces!
4. With a small round piping tip with green buttercream frosting, pipe a small stem on the top of the pumpkin.

8. Spider Cupcakes

Supplies to make spider cupcakes

• Chocolate buttercream frosting
• Black buttercream frosting
• White buttercream frosting
• Piping bags
• Wilton 1M tip
• Large round piping tip
• Small round piping tip

How to make spider cupcakes

1. Use a Wilton 1M tip to pipe a rosette pattern of chocolate buttercream frosting onto the cupcake.
2. Use a large round piping tip with black buttercream frosting to create a ball of buttercream in the center of the cupcake. Create a smaller ball of buttercream attached to the large one to create a head.
3. Use a small round piping tip with black buttercream to create 8 legs, 4 on each side.
4. With a small round piping tip with white buttercream to create eyes on the smaller ball of black buttercream.
5. Use a small round piping tip with black buttercream to create small dots in the center of the white eyes.