Halloween is right around the corner! This is a great time to plan
a party for you and your friends! You’re going to need spooky desserts to go
with the theme of Halloween! This year, plan on making Pull Apart Graveyard
Cupcakes, they’ll be sure to frighten guests of all ages!
These spooky treats are sure to be a hit at the party! Although
these cupcakes look like a cake, this graveyard consists of individual
cupcakes! This makes it a self-serve party option! Also, you can make your
graveyard as big or little as seen fit for the amount of guests at your party!
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup grape jelly
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk
Frosting:
10 ounces (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, spooned and leveled
3 tablespoons milk
10 chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely crushed
Decorations:
15 large white marshmallows
¼ cup finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies (about 3 cookies)
1 tablespoon black or green decorating sugar
One 6.4 ounce tube black decorating icing, tips
5 oval shaped vanilla and chocolate sandwhich cookies
One 7 ounce tube marzipan
3 round lollipops, wrapped
¼ cup decorating sugar
One 6.4 ounce tube green decorating icing, tips
Seven 8-inch pieces black licorice
Directions:
For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin tins with
paper cupcake liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium
bowl. Warm the grape jelly in the microwave until loosened, 20 to 30 seconds,
and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Beat together the sugar and eggs in another medium bowl with an
electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually
pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients and then all
of the milk. Follow with the rest of the dry ingredients, taking care not to
over mix the batter.
Remove 2 cups of the batter and stir in the grape jelly. Evenly
fill the liners about two-thirds full, alternating with yellow and grape
batter.
Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes
out clean and the tops spring back lightly to the touch, 20 to 22 minutes.
Place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, and then remove the cupcakes to
the rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the frosting: Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl until
fluffy and combined. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth
and fluffy. Beat in the milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting has a
nice spreadable consistency. Add the crushed cookies and continue to beat until
any large chunks are crushed to smaller bits and the frosting has a speckled,
greyish look.
For the decorations: Arrange the cupcakes in 4 rows on a large
serving plate or cutting board. Fit a marshmallow between each cupcake, 5
marshmallows per row, to fill in the gaps between the cupcakes. Spread the
frosting over the whole rectangle so it looks like one cake. Sprinkle with the
cookie crumbs and black decorating sugar.
To make the tombstones: Use the black decorating icing and a
small round tip to write "RIP" or other one-word epitaphs on the top
half of the oval sandwich cookies and stick into the cupcakes randomly around
the graveyard.
To make the ghosts: Remove two-thirds of the tube of marzipan
and place between 2 sheets of wax paper or parchment. Roll about 1/8-inch thick
and cut into 3 rounds using a 4-inch biscuit cutter. You may need to gather and
reroll the scraps for all 3 rounds. Drape over the wrapped lollipops and stick
into the cupcakes around the tombstone. Using the black decorating icing and
the same round tip, dot eyes and a mouth on the ghosts.
To make the pumpkins and leaves: Divide the remaining marzipan
into 4 small pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll in the orange sugar until
coated and place around the graveyard. Use the black icing to pipe a small
stem. Fit the tube of green decorating icing with a leaf or ribbon tip to dot
bits of green grass poking through the dirt around the graveyard and pumpkins.
To make a border: Use 6 pieces of the licorice, trimming to fit,
to make a border around the cake, leaving the middle of the front side open.
Bend the seventh piece into an upside down "U" and stick into 2
cupcakes in the front to make an arched gateway.
Cook's Note: If your decorating icing does not come with tips,
you can squeeze some icing into a small plastic bag or piping bag fitted with a
small round metal tip or a small metal leaf or ribbon tip.
Will you try this recipe at your Halloween party? Also, keep the
party outdoor this fall and call Mr. Party Pooper to provide portable toilet
rentals to keep your guests comfortable! For more information, visit our
Facebook page, linked HERE!
631-447-5216
