Description
These vibrant Candy Corn Cupcakes are a festive treat perfect for Halloween or fall celebrations. Featuring moist vanilla cupcakes colored in classic candy corn hues of yellow and orange, they’re topped with a fluffy marshmallow buttercream frosting and decorated with candy corn and sprinkles for a playful finish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon orange gel food coloring
- ¼ teaspoon yellow gel food coloring
For the Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 jar marshmallow fluff (7-ounce)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Optional Decorations
- Candy Corn
- 3 tablespoons of orange and yellow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing just until combined.
- Add Milk and Combine Dry Ingredients: Stir in the whole milk, then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Divide and Color Batter: Divide the batter evenly into two separate bowls. Add yellow gel food coloring to one bowl and orange gel food coloring to the other, stirring each until the color is consistent.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon 2 tablespoons of the yellow batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner, then top with 2 tablespoons of orange batter, filling the liners about two-thirds full.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely at room temperature.
- Prepare Frosting: While cupcakes cool, beat softened butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add marshmallow fluff and mix until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, continuing to mix until the frosting is thick and fluffy.
- Decorate: Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with candy corn pieces and orange and yellow sprinkles as desired.
- Serve: Serve the cupcakes fresh for the best flavor and texture.
Notes
- You may substitute with a white cake mix for convenience in making the cupcakes.
- Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Avoid overmixing the batter after adding the flour and food coloring to prevent dense cupcakes.
- Gel food coloring yields more intense colors using less quantity compared to liquid food coloring.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 140mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
