These Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes with Caramel Filling are a cute dessert idea to celebrate All Hallows Eve! This is an easy small batch recipe for tender chocolate cupcakes filled with caramel sauce, and topped with a fluffy marshmallow meringue ghost. Dress up the cupcakes with your favorite ghostly topper or sprinkles for a delightfully bewitching dessert!
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Total Time37 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Caramel Filled, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Halloween, Marshmallow Frosting, Small Batch
Use store bought caramel, or make your own using my Maple Syrup Caramel Sauce recipe. I use about 2 teaspoons of caramel filling per cupcake. You can use more or less based on your preference.
Add the caramel to a small bowl. Start with one drop of red food coloring, stir, and add another drop if you want a deeper shade of red.
3 ½ tablespoons caramel sauce, red gel food coloring
Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line 5 wells of a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a small mixing bowl, add the oil and both sugars. Whisk until until well combined. Add the buttermilk, coffee, and vanilla, and whisk until fully incorporated.
1 ½ tablespoons canola oil, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup buttermilk, room temperature, 2 tablespoons medium brew coffee, very hot, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients. Gently mix until no dry streaks remain.
½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ salt
Pour the batter equally into the cupcake liners. Tip - I recommend a cookie scoop to get equal portions of batter - and less mess!
Bake for 12 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out mostly clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the pan set on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack.
Scoop out a small amount of cupcake from the middle to make the well for the caramel sauce. You can use a small paring knife, apple corer, or even the wide end of a piping tip. The size of the well is completely your preference and how much caramel you want in the middle of the cupcake.
Create a Double Boiler - Simmer about 2-inches of water in a saucepan. In a heat-proof mixing bowl large enough to fit on top of the saucepan – without touching the water – add the egg white, water, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar. Set the bowl on top of the saucepan. Note - Make certain the bowl and beaters are clean. I recommend wiping down the bowl and beaters with a paper towel and a splash of vinegar or lemon juice.
1 large egg white, room temperature, 1 tablespoon water, room temperature, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon light corn syrup, ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
Using one of the whisk attachments as your whisk, constantly whisk the mixture until foamy and white. We want the sugar to dissolve and the temperature of the mixture to reach 160F degrees. This may take up to 4 minutes. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test if the sugar has dissolved by carefully rubbing a little of the egg white between your thumb and index finger – if done, you will not feel sugar granules.
Remove the bowl from the heat, and add the vanilla extract. Using a hand held mixer with whisk attachments, beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form, and the frosting is pillowy and glossy. This may take about 2 and 1/2 minutes. The frosting is ready to be used immediately.
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Assemble the Cupcakes - Fill the well in the cupcake with your desired amount of caramel, and either pipe or spoon the marshmallow frosting on top of the cupcakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Serving Size - This recipe has been tested and is intended to be a small batch.
Oil - Melted refined coconut oil would be a great substitute for the canola oil because it has a neutral flavor.
Cocoa Powder - I recommend Dutch process cocoa for its deep, rich flavor, and it is less acidic.
Hot Coffee - Hot coffee enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You can substitute hot water if you prefer.
Buttermilk - Buttermilk makes the cupcakes moist and tender. You can make your own by adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with milk to the 1/3 mark, and let the mix sit for 10 minutes. I recommend whole or 2% milk.
Storing - Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Frosted cupcakes can sit at room temperature for a day - beyond that I recommend refrigerating because of the frosting.
Freezing - Baked, unfrosted cupcakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.