Vegan Halloween Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

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This Vegan Halloween Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe is the perfect spooky bake for Halloween parties, trick-or-treat celebrations or a fun afternoon of festive baking. These light and fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes are decorated with colourful buttercream to look like adorable carved pumpkins, making them a fun project for both children and adults. They’re guaranteed to be the star of any Halloween dessert table.

TL;DR

• Soft vegan vanilla cupcakes decorated as cute Halloween pumpkins.

• 100% vegan and dairy-free.

• Makes 12 festive cupcakes.

• Fun to decorate and perfect for Halloween parties.

• Great for baking with children.

• Ideal for Halloween dessert tables and spooky celebrations.

Vegan Halloween Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Cupcakes

• 220g self-raising flour
• 130g caster sugar
• ⅔ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 40g golden syrup
• 60ml vegetable oil
• 220ml soya milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Buttercream Decoration

• 250g vegan butter block, softened
• 500g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Orange gel food colouring
• Green gel food colouring
• Black gel food colouring

How to Make Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes

Step 1: Bake the Cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F) and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda.

In a separate jug or bowl, whisk together the golden syrup, vegetable oil, soya milk and vanilla extract until smooth.

Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while mixing until you have a smooth cake batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cases, filling each one around two-thirds full.

Bake for approximately 23 minutes, checking during the final few minutes. The cupcakes are ready when they spring back lightly when pressed in the centre.

Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 2: Make the Buttercream

Beat the softened vegan butter block together with the vanilla extract until pale and creamy.

Gradually sift in the icing sugar, mixing until smooth and fluffy.

Transfer around three-quarters of the buttercream to a separate bowl and colour it orange using the gel food colouring until you achieve a pumpkin shade.

Divide the remaining buttercream equally between two bowls. Colour one portion green and the other black.

Step 3: Decorate the Cupcakes

Transfer the orange buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.

To create the pumpkin shape, pipe two curved lines down either side of the cupcake. Pipe two more slightly overlapping curved lines to build up the pumpkin shape, then finish with a straight line down the centre to create the pumpkin segments.

Transfer the green buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a small stalk onto the top of each pumpkin.

Finally, transfer the black buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and pipe on jack-o’-lantern faces with eyes, noses and spooky smiles.

Top Tips

• Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
• Use gel food colouring rather than liquid colouring for vibrant colours without changing the consistency of the buttercream.
• Practise piping the pumpkin shape on baking paper if you’re new to decorating cupcakes.
• Wipe the piping nozzle occasionally for cleaner lines when piping the faces.

Variations

• Add a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin spice to the sponge for a warming autumn flavour.
• Sprinkle edible glitter over the pumpkins for a magical Halloween finish.
• Give each cupcake a different jack-o’-lantern expression for extra character.
• Add chocolate chips to the sponge for an extra treat.

Serving Suggestions

These Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties, school bake sales, spooky afternoon teas or enjoying with a hot chocolate while watching your favourite Halloween films.

Storage

Store the decorated cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring them back to room temperature before serving so the buttercream softens.

FAQs

• Which Food Colourings Are Vegan?

Recipes Similar to Vegan Halloween Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

• 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.

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