Description
Create spooky and fun Halloween Brain Cupcakes with this easy 5-step recipe. These cupcakes feature realistic pink buttercream brains and a bloody raspberry glaze, perfect for Halloween parties.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 vanilla or strawberry cupcakes
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1–2 tbsp milk or cream
- Gel colors: pink, warm brown or ivory
- Raspberry jam, coulis, or red gel (or mix corn syrup + cocoa for “blood”)
Instructions
- Tint buttercream light pink; add a drop of warm brown or ivory to mute the tone.
- Spread a thin base coat of the pink buttercream over cooled cupcakes. Score a shallow center line with a spatula to divide the “brain” hemispheres.
- Fit a piping bag with a round tip (Wilton #10–12). Pipe one long squiggle on each side of the center line to define the brain lobes.
- Add a second layer of squiggles on top for more volume, creating irregular loops and overlaps for a natural effect. Chill the cupcakes for 5 minutes to set the piped brain folds.
- Spoon raspberry jam, coulis, or red gel into the crevices for a gory, bloody effect. For oozing centers, core filled cupcakes with jam before frosting.
- Serve soon after decorating for the freshest look.
Notes
- For a surprise “bloody” bite, core the cupcakes and fill with jam before frosting.
- Freeze cupcakes for 5 minutes before glazing to minimize run-off.
- Store well-wrapped brain cupcakes up to 5 days refrigerated; add final gore close to serving.
- If using coulis or jelly, apply to chilled frosting and serve within a few hours.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-bake decoration
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg