I wanted something fun for Halloween so I made these adorable Ghost Cupcakes. The “ghosts” are actually meringue cookies so this is really two desserts in one!
Meringues make perfect ghosts for so many reasons! I mean, they’re the perfect color, for starters.
But the fact that they’re barely there is the real seller, right?! Just like ghosts, meringues are not quite solid. One bite and they melt away so you’re almost not certain they existed in the first place.
Meringues do take a little bit of effort and some patience. so we’re going to save our time on the cupcakes. That’s why I use a cake mix box for the cupcakes as a shortcut.
Oh yeah, and I go ahead an skip the trouble of making my own frosting and use a store-bought version too. All our effort is going to go into those adorable meringue ghosts.
How to Make Ghost Cupcakes
Don’t be afraid, the scariest part of these cupcakes is the eerie ghosts, which really aren’t that hard to create. If you like this dessert, you should also check out my Halloween Devil Cupcakes and my Mini Meringues Recipe.
The good news is, you’ll be able to find all of the ingredients at your nearest grocery store if they aren’t already in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (plus ingredients to make cake mix)
- 1 jar premade white frosting
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ยฝ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
- Mini chocolate chips
Once you’ve made certain you have everything you need, you’re ready to get cooking.
Step 1: Bake Cupcakes
First, we need to get the cupcakes ready. Just follow the directions on the box you purchased (they all vary just a little so I won’t guess the specific details here).
When you remove the cupcakes from the oven, reduce the temperature to 225ยฐF. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost each cupcake.
I used white cupcakes with white frosting to make it seem like they’re floating in fog. If you prefer your ghosts to be hanging out in a graveyard, you can use chocolate cupcakes and chocolate frosting instead.
Step 2: Prepare Meringue
While the cupcakes are cooling, you can start getting your ghosts ready. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they are frothy.
You can use a hand mixer, but if you have a stand mixer, it’s much easier, especially for the next part.
Next, add the cream of tartar and one tablespoon of sugar continuously beating on high speed. Add the remaining sugar one tablespoon at a time, making sure each one is mixed in before adding more.
If you’re using a stand mixer, you can just keep the beater running and drop in each tablespoon of sugar as the previous one is incorporated. You can accomplish the same thing with a hand mixer and kitchen assistant (or good hand eye coordination) too though so don’t sweat it if you don’t have a stand mixer.
Continue beating until stiff peaks start to form, then add the vanilla extract and beat until it’s fully incorporated.
Step 3: Make the Ghosts
Now is the fun part! Pour the egg white mixture into a piping bag and pipe mounds onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
If you want all of your ghosts to be the same size, you can make the mounds identical in shape. If you prefer to have ghosts of all sizes you can make small and large mounds.
Add two chocolate chips to each mound for eyes.
Then, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes is up, turn off the oven but leave the ghosts in the oven for another hour.
After the meringues have rested for an hour in the oven, you can then remove them and set them aside to cool completely.
Step 4: Finish Decorating
Once the ghost meringues are completely cooled, place them on the cupcakes.
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๐ Recipe
Ghost Cupcakes
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Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix plus ingredients to make cake mix
- 1 jar prepared white frosting
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- ยฝ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
- Mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare the cupcakes according to package instructions and allow to cool completely. Top with a thin layer of icing and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs on high with hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment until they become frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on medium until soft peaks begin to form.
- Turn mixer to high and begin adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time, mixing between each addition. Continue beating until all the sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks begin to form.
- Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Pour mixture into a piping bag and pipe small and large mounds onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Add two chocolate chip eyes to each large mound and mini chocolate chip eyes to the small mounds.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. When the baking time is up, turn off the oven and allow the cookies to rest in the warm oven for an hour.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Place cooled ghost cookies on top of the ice cupcakes and serve.
Nutrition
If you love this Ghost Cupcakes Recipe, but you don’t have a couple of hours to wait on meringues to set, just pin this to your favorite cupcake recipes board on Pinterest so you can find it quick later!
These are so crafty yet easy to make!