Halloween cupcakes – matcha mash

Themed bakes for special occasions, much like costume parties, always get my vote. I just love the theatricality and fun you can have with baking like this and halloween cupcakes are a brilliant way to get in the ghoulish party spirit.

The Matcha Mash Halloween cupcakes are a complete joy to make and eat. Matcha powder provides the natural colouring here, to add a ghoulish green to the classic vanilla sponge. The chocolate icing adds satisfying richness and sprinkles and goggly eyes complete the spooky vibe.

The happy consequence of these simple cupcakes is that they come with their own pun based song borrowed from the Halloween classic Monster Mash – Give into the tune as you bake 🙂 

She did the matcha mash

(The matcha mash) It was a green tea smash

(The matcha mash) all you need is a dash

(The matcha mash) to do the matcha mash

Looking for more halloween food-spiration? Why not try my Monster cookie cups – a Halloween must have or my Devilishly dark chocolate liquorice truffles – perfect for Halloween

Ingredients for halloween cupcakes

170g self rising flour 

170g caster sugar

170g softened unsalted butter 

3 eggs

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

3 tbsp matcha powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp milk

100g halloween sprinkles (optional)

For the chocolate icing:

400g sifted icing sugar

200g softened unsalted butter

50g sifted cocoa powder

75g melted dark chocolate (I like to use Lindt chocolate, works so well)

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp instant coffee powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Choice of halloween sprinkles and royal icing eyes for decoration

Makes 12 cupcakes

Method for halloween cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170°C, GM3. 

Line a muffin tin with 12 cases and leave aside while you make the mixture. 

Weigh out all of your ingredients.

In a separate bowl, sift the self rising flour, baking powder, matcha powder and salt.

Using a food mixer, or free standing whisk, combine the sugar and butter together until it forms a light, creamy consistency. This will only take a few minutes with a food mixer.

Then gradually add one egg at a time, leaving plenty of time for the egg to incorporate into the mixture before adding the next and keep the mixer running at a fairly high speed while doing this; this will help the mixture from curdling. You can also add a tablespoon of flour after each egg at this stage to help prevent curdling too. 

Once the eggs have all been added, add in the dry ingredients and on a slow speed mix until they have only just combined. Then add the vanilla extract and halloween sprinkles (optional) and fold into the cake mixture. 

Using a medium ice cream scoop or two spoons, portion the mixture out amongst the cake cases. Take care not to overfill the cases as the mixture will rise more as it bakes. Half fill each case with batter. 

Bake in the middle shelf of the oven, turning the pan ¾ way through cooking time to help the cakes cook evenly. This should take between 17-20 minutes. 

To test if the cakes are cooked, use a cake skewer and insert into the middle of one of the cakes and if it comes away clean then they are cooked. The cakes should also spring back when touched. 

Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before icing. Cupcakes cool down really quickly so this will take less than 30 minutes. 

While you wait, you can prepare the icing. 

To make the icing add the butter to a food mixer and cream it for a few minutes to make sure everything is very smooth before gradually starting to add the icing sugar and cocoa powder (and coffee) mixture.

Once the mixture is combined and everything is light and fluffy (the longer you mix, the fluffier the mixture will get) add the vanilla extract and salt and mix for a final time. Add milk to the icing if you think it needs to have a looser, more spreadable consistency.

Using a small palette knife, swirl the chocolate buttercream onto each green cupcake and then decorate as you like. Have fun with the positioning of the eyes and the sprinkles to create different spooky effects. Dust with cocoa powder. 

The cakes should keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Tips

For baking, make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature, including the eggs, it will help all of the ingredients combine together well. 

An ice cream scoop is a great tool to help ensure that your cupcakes are the same size when they are baked. 

Weigh out all of your ingredients in advance; yes this means more bowls and more washing up, but the positive is that you have everything ready before you start, so you only have to think about the process of making the cake, instead of rushing to find the next ingredient and weigh it out while the mixer is running.