Cute little Ghosts on Halloween Carrot Cake Cupcakes make an adorable —and not too spooky— treat for all the ghosts and goblins that come your way on Halloween. They are a fast and easy idea for Halloween cupcakes with a slightly healthy side.
Don’t forget the big kids, they will love the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!
This recipe was been a fan favorite since it was originally post on October 28, 2011 – Updated on 10/23/2020
Aren’t these the most adorable Halloween cupcakes ever? When you hear how fast and easy it is to put these cute little ghosts on top of the carrot cake cupcakes, you won’t be able to resist them.
Don’t worry, you still have time! The witches and goblins aren’t coming down the street… yet. This cute design on my speedy recipe will get you ready for the party in no time.
My kids love Halloween! I usually have elaborate ideas about the treats I’ll serve and the costumes I’ll make for everyone (even the dog) floating around my in head for weeks. Then, the big day arrives.
Life and errands and deadlines creep up as my visions get scaled back until the ideas are much more manageable.
I guess a Mom’s gotta do what a Mom’s gotta do to save time and get the job done. I don’t always have time to bake from scratch.
If you are anything like me, you are probably hunting for Halloween party ideas that have “knock ’em dead wow factor” tucked into a “quick and easy” package, too.
Well, these are the cupcakes for you! They are definitely “knock ’em dead” and definitely “quick and easy.
How to Make Ghosts on Halloween Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These are fast and easy cupcakes with wow factor!
First, make the carrot cake cupcakes. For speed and easy clean up, I turned a spice cake mix into a carrot cake cupcakes by adding shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts (the carrot cake cupcakes recipe is at the bottom of this post). Let them cool.
Sometimes, a Mom’s gotta do what a Mom’s gotta do to save time and get the job done. I don’t always have time to bake from scratch.
Please feel free to use your own recipe if you don’t like using a cake mix or if you have a favorite cupcake recipe of your own.
Next, make the cream cheese frosting- The frosting for these little ghosts is a straight forward white cream cheese icing.
Be sure to take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge while you are mixing the cupcake batter and baking the cupcakes so you won’t have to wait for it to come to room temperature.
How to Pipe Ghosts onto Halloween Cupcakes
First, fit a large pastry/pipping bag with a large round tip ( I used 2d).
Next, fill the bag with cream cheese frosting.Fill a large pastry piping bag fitted with a large round tip with the cream cheese frosting.
Start piping a line of frosting in the center of the cupcake. Draw your line to the outside, not quite the edge, of the cupcake.
Pipe a circle around the outer cupcake almost to the edge.
With a continuous line, pipe the frosting in progressively smaller circles one on top of the other until you get a shape like a pointy hat. This should take between 3 and 4 layers of circles. (see the attached video)
If you don’t have a pastry bag and tip, just cut one of the corners off of a zip bag and use that as a pastry bag.
Decorate the Ghost Cupcakes
Now comes the fun part.
Decorate the ghost cupcakes with eyes and a mouth.
I used chocolate covered pomegranate seeds for the eyes and mouth of theses little ghosts.
If you can’t find them at your favorite store, don’t worry. There is no need to make a special trip, just use mini-chocolate chips and push the pointy end into the frosting. Try slightly melting a few of them on waxed paper so they aren’t perfectly round. The more lopsided they are, the cuter your ghosts will be.
You can also color a little bit of the frosting black or brown and pipe the eyes and nose onto the ghost cupcakes.
Here is a link to the pastry bag and tips I use to pipe ghosts on these Halloween Carrot Cake Cupcakes.
(This is an Amazon affiliate link)
Print the recipe here-
Ghosts Halloween Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake pan
- Cupcake paper liners
- Piping bag
- cake decorating tip size 2d or large tip
Ingredients
- 1 package spice cake mix without pudding I use Duncan Hines
- 1 package Jello Brand vanilla pudding 4 serving size
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups carrots shredded
- 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple drained
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 8 oz butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 chocolate covered pomegranates
- or mini-chocolate chips per cup cake
Instructions
- Mix together the cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, and water. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Fold in shredded carrots, pineapple and nuts.
- Spoon batter into cupcake papers.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool.
- Beat together cream cheese and butter.
- Slowly add powdered sugar.
- Beat until fluffy.
- Mix in vanilla.
- Spoon frosting into pastry bag or zip bag (cut off one corner).
- Pipe a mound of frosting in the center of each cooled cupcake.
- Pipe a spiral circle around the base of the frosting mound and pushing out to the edge of the cup cake. Make the circles smaller as you go up. Pull the pastry bag away leaving a little “tail” at the very top.
- Place pomegranate seeds or chocolate chips in the position of eyes and mouth.
Hope you have fun with this easy recipe!
—posted by Sandy
These are so simple and absolutely adorable! I love Halloween creations like these.
Your cupcakes are beautiful.
These are so adorable. I love things that are easy. Super cute. Would be great for young kids to make for themselves.
These are adorable! I think I have almost everything at hand, I might whip up a batch tomorrow 🙂
These are GREAT! I think it’s wonderful that you made them and if getting them done with a box mix works…it works for me! They’re adorable!
These are totally cute!! Love the cupcakes and I bet they taste amazing.
Such a cute idea1
Super cute and festive!
Your ghosts are adorable! Such a cute way to dress up the cupcakes!
These are simply the perfect cupcake for Halloween!!! I added them to my Halloween dessert roundup of recipes here: https://www.grandbaby-cakes.com/2012/10/halloween-everywhere.html
I love these little ghosts, and they make anyone look creative, they’re so easy. Thanks also for the converted carrot/spice cake recipe. It works.
What size tip did you use?
the photo of the copcakes was very nice thank you
How many cups does the 8oz of butter translate to for the frosting?
Hi Ashley, Thank you for your question! 8 ounces of butter is 1/2 pound or the size of two sticks of butter (8 tablespoons each) when purchased in the average 1 pound package in U.S. grocery stores. I think that measures out to 1 cup but, I always just use the 2 sticks of butter and skip pressing it into the measuring cup. I hope you love the cupcakes! My family does.
Hope to hear from you soon, Sandy
This is a great carrot-cake recipe even if you’re not making the cute ghosts.