Description

Delightfully rich and moist dark chocolate fudge cupcakes decorated to look like adorable black cats, perfect for Halloween or themed parties. These cupcakes combine a fudgy cake base with creamy chocolate buttercream, chocolate sprinkles, and fun decorations like candy eyes, heart sprinkles, and chocolate ears made from Hershey bars to create a festive and playful dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Cupcake Batter

1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 (3.9 oz.) package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mini chocolate chips
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup chocolate milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Frosting and Decorations

1 batch Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate sprinkles (optional, for coating)
3 Hershey chocolate bars (for ears)
24 large heart sprinkles (for nose)
48 candy eyes (2 per cupcake for eyes)
48 chocolate Pocky sticks (broken in half for whiskers)

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Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside to use for baking.
Mix Batter: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the dark chocolate fudge cake mix, chocolate fudge instant pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, chocolate milk, vanilla extract, salt, and mini chocolate chips. Mix until all ingredients are well combined, scraping down the bowl sides as necessary to ensure even mixing.
Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon a scant ¼ cup of batter into each liner, filling them about three-quarters full to allow for rising during baking.
Bake Cupcakes: Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Avoid opening the oven too early to ensure proper rising.
Cool Cupcakes: Allow cupcakes to sit in the pan for a couple of minutes after baking, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare Frosting: While the cupcakes cool, prepare the Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting according to its recipe instructions to have it ready for decorating.
Frost Cupcakes: Pipe the chocolate buttercream frosting onto the cooled cupcakes generously for a rich coating.
Add Chocolate Sprinkles: Pour chocolate sprinkles into a small bowl. Dip the frosted cupcakes upside down into the sprinkles to coat the top part of the frosting, adding texture and extra chocolate flavor.
Make Chocolate Ears: Break each Hershey chocolate bar along the short middle divet. Cut each half into quarters, then cut each quarter into two triangles, creating 8 pairs of ears per bar. Insert two chocolate triangles into the top of each cupcake to form cat ears.
Create Cat Faces: Attach one large heart sprinkle as the cat’s nose and place two candy eyes above it on each cupcake to form the eyes.
Add Whiskers: Break chocolate Pocky sticks in half and insert two halves into each cupcake’s cheeks on either side of the face to create the cat’s whiskers.

Notes

Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent the buttercream from melting.
Use sharp knives when cutting chocolate bars for ears to get clean, triangle shapes.
Chocolate sprinkles are optional but add a nice touch of texture and visual appeal.
You can substitute candy eyes and heart sprinkles with other decorations based on availability or preference.
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 28 g
Sodium: 180 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
Trans Fat: 0.2 g
Carbohydrates: 38 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 50 mg