Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Halloween is the perfect excuse to bake something festive, fun, and just a little bit spooky and these vegan Halloween pumpkin cupcakes tick every box. At their core, they are soft and fluffy vanilla cupcakes made entirely without dairy or eggs, so everyone can enjoy them no matter their dietary needs. But what makes them truly special is the decoration. Each one is topped with a cheerful pumpkin shape, piped with vibrant orange frosting and finished with a little green stem and black features. They’re equal parts adorable and delicious, making theme the ultimate centrepiece for any Halloween party spread.

What’s great about these cupcakes is how simple they are to make. The vanilla sponge uses straightforward pantry ingredients and comes together in minutes, no fancy equipment required. Plant-based milk and oil keep the crumb light and tender, while a touch of vanilla ensures a sweet, classic flavour that pairs perfectly with the frosting. Because they’re vegan, you don’t have to fuss with eggs or dairy. Just mix, bake, cool, and decorate.

The decorating process is easy enough for older kids to join in, but still impressive enough to wow a crowd. With just a piping bag and piping tips, you can create pumpkin shapes that look as good as they taste. Add green icing for the stem, black icing for a face and you’ve got a festive treat that’s not complicated.

Whether you’re hosting a Halloween get together, sending treats to school, or just want a fun seasonal bake to enjoy at home, these cupcakes are guaranteed to bring smiles. They’re playful, plant-based, and perfect for celebrating autumn’s favorite holiday in style.

If you liked this halloween recipe and would like to try more here are some of my favourites –

• Gummy Worm Brownies

Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes

Difficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• For the Sponge

• 220g Self Raising Flour

• 130g Caster Sugar

• 2/3 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

• 40g Golden Syrup

• 60g Vegetable Oil

• 220ml Soya Milk

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• For the Decoration

• 250g Vegan Butter Block (at room temp)

• 500g Icing Sugar

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• Green, Orange and Black Gel Food Colouring

Directions

• For the Sponge
• Preheat the oven to 160ºc/320ºf and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases.
• In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and bicarb using a hand or stand mixer.
• In a separate bowl mix together the golden syrup, vegetable oil, soya milk, and vanilla extract.
• Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while mixing.
• Divide the cake batter between the 12 cupcakes cases and bake for around 23 minutes, checking regularly in the last few minutes. They are done when you lightly press on the top and it springs back.
• Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the Decoration
• Beat the butter block and vanilla with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and pale.
• Sieve in the icing sugar and mix carefully until you get a smooth icing.
• Put 3/4 of the icing into a large bowl and use the orange food colouring to make a suitable pumpkin colour.
• Divide the remaining 1/4 in half into two bowls. Colour one bowl black and one bowl green.
• Put the orange icing into a large piping bag with a large round piping tip.
• Make the pumpkin shape by piping a curved line either side of the cupcake. It should look like this - ( )
• Pipe two more curved lines slightly overlapping the first. It should look like this - (( ))
• To finish the pumpkin shape pipe a final straight line down the middle.
• Put the green icing into a piping bag with a star shaped piping tip. Pipe the stalk at the top of the pumpkin.
• Put the black icing into a piping bag with a small round piping tip. Use this to pipe on your pumpkin features such as a mouth, nose and eyes.