It’s Halloween eve and I found a skull cupcake pan.  So, of course, I thought I better try to make some skulls.  My plan was to make Red Velvet skull cupcakes and then decorate them like Día de los Muertos skulls.  The pan is made from silicone and I remember I had used it before. I couldn’t remember if I had sprayed some Pam on them but this time I didn’t.  I thought with silicone it didn’t need it.  Well, I’m not sure if it was the cake recipe or the pan but the skulls did not turn out.  I did make cupcakes and just decorated with Cream Cheese Frosting to make them look like ghosts.

This was my first attempt at making Red Velvet cupcakes.  It was interesting but I don’t like the idea of using a lot of food coloring.  It’s OK every once in a while but it really doesn’t add anything to the taste.  I know that we eat through eyes, too, but I don’t think it’s very healthy.

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 cup Butter, at room temperature

2 Tbls. Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 cups Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 Tbls. Red Food Coloring

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

2 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour, sifted

1 cup Buttermilk

1 Tbl. Vinegar

Frosting

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter

2 3/4 cup Confectioner’s Sugar

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 handful Mini-Chocolate Chips

Reheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill muffin pan with cupcake paper cups.

Cream Butter and Sugar.  Add Eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.  Mix in Vanilla.

In a separate bowl, make a paste with 2 Tbls. of Cocoa and Food Coloring.  Blend into butter mixture.

Sift together Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt.  Add Flour mixture and Buttermilk alternating in two batches.  Mix in Vinegar to the last batch of buttermilk before adding to batter.

Mix well.

Pour batter into cupcake papers and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool cupcakes on a rack.

Meanwhile beat Butter and Cream Cheese until smooth add Confectioner’s Sugar and Vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Spoon into a plastic bag and cut a 1/2 inch tip.  Squeeze in a circular spiral to create the ghost.  Add two Mini-Chocolate Chips for eyes.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Happy Halloween!