Description
These festive Halloween Ghost Cupcakes feature fluffy cupcakes topped with creamy purple buttercream frosting and adorable ghost-shaped meringue decorations. Perfect for a spooky celebration, the meringue ghosts are light and airy, baked low and slow to maintain their shape and then decorated with expressive black frosting faces.
Ingredients
Scale
Meringue Ghosts
- 2 large Egg Whites (Room Temperature)
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 2 cups Confectioner’s Sugar
- 2 tbsp Milk
- Purple Gel Food Coloring (amount as needed)
- Black Decorating Frosting (for eyes and mouth)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal of the meringue ghosts.
- Beat Egg Whites: In a clean mixing bowl, beat the room temperature egg whites on low speed. Add the cream of tartar to stabilize the whites. Continue beating until the egg whites become foamy.
- Add Sugar Gradually: Slowly add the white sugar to the egg whites while increasing the mixer speed to high. Beat until the mixture becomes bright white and forms semi-stiff peaks, which indicates proper meringue texture for piping.
- Pipe and Bake Meringue Ghosts: Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag and pipe ghost shapes onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the ghosts at 200°F (93°C) for 2 hours to dry them out slowly. After baking, leave the meringues in the oven to cool for 30 minutes to avoid cracks.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting: In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter, confectioner’s sugar, and milk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add purple gel food coloring a little at a time, mixing thoroughly until you achieve the desired shade of purple.
- Assemble Cupcakes: Frost your cooled cupcakes with the purple buttercream. Place the meringue ghost decorations atop the frosting. Use black decorating frosting to add eyes and mouths on the ghosts to bring them to life and complete the spooky look.
Notes
- Ensure egg whites are at room temperature to achieve better volume while whipping.
- Pipe ghosts on parchment paper for easy removal after baking.
- Baking meringues at low temperature for a long time ensures they dry without browning.
- Let meringues cool slowly inside the oven to prevent cracking.
- If desired, substitute the purple gel food coloring with any color that suits your Halloween theme.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container to keep the meringue ghosts crisp.
