Whether you love candy corn or hate it, you can’t deny it’s symbolic of the Halloween season.
And luckily, these candy corn cupcakes are for candy corn lovers and haters alike!
They’re simply a festive twist on vanilla cupcakes, blending yellow and orange cake batter for a classic candy corn look.
Anyone who enjoys fluffy cake and buttercream frosting will love them. And don’t worry, the haters can always pick off the candy corn pieces on top 🙂
Why You’ll Love These Candy Corn Cupcakes
Festive Flair: These adorable cupcakes bring the iconic Halloween candy to life in a delightful way. They’re perfect for Halloween parties, themed school events, and gifting homemade treats.
Tasty Treat: You’ll love the moist vanilla cupcakes topped with decadent buttercream. Every bite is like a little taste of Heaven.
Easy Elegance: Topped with candy corn pieces and colorful sprinkles, these are easy to decorate. The simple toppings add a playful touch without requiring advanced decorating skills. They’re perfect, easy-to-make Halloween desserts.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: The basic structure and texture of the cupcakes.
- Baking Powder & Soda: For lift, so they’re not too dense.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: The flavor enhancers that make these taste extra yummy. Salt balances the sweetness, and vanilla gives them a warm, aromatic flavor.
- Unsalted Butter & Oil: For richness, moisture, and a tender crumb.
- Granulated Sugar: To sweeten and soften each cupcake.
- Eggs: For structure.
- Whole Milk: To make the batter smooth, creamy, and cohesive. Use whole milk for the best results.
- Food Coloring: For the “candy corn” layers, you’ll need yellow and orange. Use gel food coloring for the most vibrant colors and to avoid changing the batter’s texture.
- Buttercream Frosting: This indulgent frosting is so much easier to make than most people realize. All you’ll need is butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
- Decorations: Add a few pieces of candy corn and/or sprinkles to the top of each cupcake for extra Halloween flair. They provide a bit of contrasting texture, too.
How to Make Candy Corn Cupcakes
Like most homemade cupcake recipes, this one has several steps to it. None of them are difficult, though.
In fact, this is a great one to get the kids involved, as decorating them is so much fun.
Here are the steps:
1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. WHISK the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. MELT the butter and milk in intervals until smooth. Stir well, then add the vanilla and oil.
4. WHIP the eggs. Gradually add sugar and beat until thick and pale.
5. ADD the flour mixture to the eggs in three parts, mixing gently.
6. TEMPER the egg mix by adding about 1/2 cup to the warm butter-milk. When it’s evenly warm, pour this back into the egg bowl and mix until well combined.
7. DIVIDE the batter into two bowls: tint one yellow and the other orange. Spoon them into the cupcake liners, yellow first, then the orange.
8. BAKE for 20-25 minutes until golden and springy. Cool completely.
9. BEAT the butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until thick and smooth. Frost cupcakes and top with candy corn and sprinkles.
Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Candy Corn Cupcakes
The tips for these cupcakes are pretty self-explanatory. They are worth repeating, though:
- Don’t overmix the batter. I suggest using a spatula to incorporate the flour and again when adding the hot milk. It’ll keep the cupcakes tender.
- Use gel food coloring. It has the brightest hues and won’t water down the batter like liquid food coloring.
- Freeze between layers. After adding the yellow batter to the tin, pop it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. That way, the colors are less likely to mix when you add the orange, and you’ll have cleaner, more distinct layers.
- Don’t overfill the liners. Fill them about 2/3 full, so they don’t overflow.
- Use a piping bag if you have one. To make the cupcakes look nicer, pipe the frosting on with a piping bag and a star tip. If you don’t have one, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off for a similar result.
- Save time with a boxed cake mix. This recipe is super moist and flavorful. But if you’re in a rush, use white cake mix instead. Simply follow the package instructions and add food coloring for the candy corn effect.
How to Store
If you take these tasty treats to a Halloween party, you probably won’t have many left.
If you do, though, you’ll need to know what to do with them.
To Store: Refrigerate the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For the best taste and texture, warm to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
To Freeze: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before adding fresh frosting.
More Delicious Cupcakes You’ll Love
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
Candy Corn Cupcakes
12
25
minutes20
minutes449
kcalThese candy corn cupcakes are fun, colorful, and perfect for Halloween! You’ll love the fluffy vanilla sponge topped with creamy buttercream.
Ingredients
- For the Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons oil
yellow and orange gel food coloring
candy corn and sprinkles, for garnish
- For the Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a heatproof bowl, microwave the butter and milk in 30-second intervals until smooth. Stir well between each spin.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed until slightly thickened. Keep mixing and slowly add the sugar. Beat for about 5 minutes until thick and very pale.
- Add the flour to the egg mixture in three additions. Mix gently by hand until just combined.
- Pour the warm butter-milk into the now empty flour bowl. Whisk in the vanilla and oil until smooth.
- Add about half a cup of the beaten egg mixture into the warm milk, whisking constantly so it doesn’t scramble. When it’s well blended, pour the warm milk and egg mixture into the bowl with the beaten eggs. Mix by hand until just combined.
- Divide the batter into two bowls. Tint one bowl with yellow and the other with orange food coloring. Spoon the yellow batter into the cupcake liners. Gently spoon the orange batter on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. The top should spring back when gently pressed. Set aside to cool.
- Make the frosting: Beat the butter until smooth. Slowly beat in 3 cups of powdered sugar, adding a little at a time until thick and lump-free. Add the heavy cream or more powdered sugar, as needed, to reach the desired consistency. Then, beat in the vanilla and salt.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them generously with the buttercream. Decorate each cupcake with candy corn pieces and orange and yellow sprinkles. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use gel, not liquid, food coloring for the best results.
- Save time with a white boxed cake mix if desired.
