Hocus Pocus Cauldron Cupcake Recipe
This Hocus Pocus cauldron cupcakes recipe is hands down one of our favorite Halloween recipes to date. Don’t let the intricate design fool you into thinking this is a difficult recipe to make – it’s pretty easy (and FUN)!
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What You'll Find On This Page
Easy Cauldron Cupcakes Recipe
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, Halloween season is nearly here. I know it’s the end of July, but all the stores are filling up and inspiring me.
Because I’ve been sharing my life-long love of easy cupcake recipes here for years, I decided to whip up an over the top concoction this year. And because I’m lazy, it’s only going to take you about an hour to put together.
NOTE: you can prep the cupcakes, frosting, and the cauldrons ahead of time (1-3 days prior). On the day of or day before the event, simply assemble.
If you need to gather supplies for your cauldron cupcakes recipe, bookmark this page to make it easier to find when you are ready to create your Halloween dessert.
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RELATED READING: Make Your Own “Black Flame Candle” with This Free Printable
Tips For Making Cauldron Cupcakes
- To make this recipe work, use a knife to split the cookie in half.
- Though you can melt white chocolate chips and color them for this recipe, I recommend using candy melts as they will produce a better result.
- Get the sprinkles and pearls here – our local stores were always without the bright colors we needed.
- To get the triple swirl effect for the frosting, you have two options: 1) spoon the three colors into one large piping bag or fill three piping bags with separate colors and then place the bags into a larger piping bag.
Ingredients For The Cookie Cauldron
Below are the supplies I used for this recipe – all colors can be adjusted so use what you can easily find or have on hand for those.
- Double-stuffed Oreo cookies
- Black pearl sprinkles
- Dark chocolate melting wafers
- Popsicle sticks
- Vibrant green melting wafers
- Green pearl, purple pearl, bat, eyes, and skull sprinkles
- Disposable piping bag(s)
Each step for this recipe is detailed below so it’s easy to follow. Keep this page open while you are creating your Hocus Pocus Cauldron Cupcakes. If you would rather have a printable recipe, scroll down and select the print button.
How To Make An Oreo Cookie Cauldron
Line a cookie sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper. Melt the chocolate melting wafers in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
Separate the Oreo cookies, making sure all the filling is on one side of the cookie.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the melted chocolate into the center of the cookie filling. Press the stick into the chocolate. Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate to the top of the stick and press on the other cookie side.
Carefully dip the cookie on the popsicle stick into the melted chocolate. Tap the edge of the bowl a few times to get rid of excess.
While the chocolate is still wet, add one large sprinkle on the bottom of each side for the cauldron for the “legs.” Place the “cauldron” onto the silicon baking mat and allow to completely dry. Repeat the steps with all cookies.
Melt the green candy melts and spoon into the disposable piping bag. Cut off a small portion of the tip.
Once the “cauldron” is dry, gently peel it from the silicone mat. Pipe the green candy melt onto the cauldron and make it look like ooze coming from the top of the cauldron. While wet, add pearl green sprinkles onto the candy and add a few purple pearl sprinkles, green skulls, candy eyes, and bat sprinkle. Allow the chocolate to harden.
Ingredients For The Cauldron Cupcakes
- White cake mix (or my Internet-famous, “Lazy Girl’s Vanilla Cupcake Recipe“)
- Large egg whites
- Whole milk
- Unsalted sweet cream butter softened
- Purple foil liners
- Neon green gel food coloring
- Neon orange gel food coloring
- Neon purple gel food coloring
How To Make The Cauldron Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place 12 cupcake liners into a standard cupcake pan. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat the cake mix, eggs, milk, and butter until combined and smooth.
Divide the batter into three bowls. Mix a few drops of orange food coloring into one bowl, a purple into the second, and green into the third. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Take a tablespoon of the orange batter and spoon into the cupcake liners.
Next, take a tablespoon of the green batter and spoon into the cupcake liners.
Lastly, add a tablespoon of purple batter to the cupcake liners.
Repeat until the liner is about 3/4 of the way full. You can opt to swirl the batters together or leave them separated for a different look.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes. Remove and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
Ingredients For The Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted sweet cream butter softened
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
- Pure vanilla extract
- Piping bag fitted with a wide star tip
- Neon green gel food coloring
- Neon orange gel food coloring
- Neon purple gel food coloring
- Halloween sprinkles
How To Make Buttercream Frosting
Pour the Halloween sprinkles into a bowl which can accommodate a frosted cupcake and set aside.
Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla until combined. Mix until the frosting is creamy and forms a peak (depending on your climate, add slightly more cream if needed).
Divide the frosting between three bowls. Mix a few drops of the neon purple gel food coloring into one bowl, neon orange in a second, and neon green in a third. Mix with a spoon until combined and no white is visible.
Scoop each color into the piping bag. Pipe a thick layer of frosting on top of a cupcake. Roll the cupcake in Halloween sprinkles until coated. Carefully place the “cauldron” into the center of the frosting, and enjoy!
Notes For Making Frosting
- Some people feel that buttercream frosting can be too sweet. To counteract this, add 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar. It may sound strange but it does work!
- When making frosting, your milk, half and half, or heavy whipping cream should be cold.
More Spooky Treats You May Like
- Devil’s Food Cupcakes for Halloween – These dark and spooky cupcakes are sure to please this Halloween – check out those horns!
- The Easiest Halloween Cupcakes – The stars of this show are the amazing Halloween sprinkles we used.
- Yummy Skeleton Hot Cocoa Bombs: Not only are these hot cocoa bombs frighteningly delicious, but they are scary easy to make.
Please Save or Share This Fun Halloween Cupcake Recipe and Decoration Idea
Your shares are how this site grows and I sincerely appreciate it. Please save this recipe to your favorite Halloween pin board or share it on Facebook.
Hocus Pocus Cauldron Cupcakes
All you need to make these jaw-dropping Halloween cupcakes is a cake mix, some pantry and fridge staples, and some Halloween sprinkles.
Ingredients
For The Cookie Cauldron
- 12 double stuffed Oreo cookies
- 24 large black pearl sprinkles
- 12 ounce bag of dark chocolate melting wafers
- 12 popsicle sticks
- 12 ounce bag of vibrant green melting wafers
- 2 cups green pearl sprinkles
- 1 cup purple pearl sprinkles
- 1 cup bat shaped sprinkles
- 1 cup edible candy eyes
- 1 cup skull sprinkles
- 1 disposable piping bag
For The Cupcakes
- 1 box White cake mix
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- Purple foil liners
- Neon green gel food coloring
- Neon orange gel food coloring
- Neon purple gel food coloring
For The Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large piping bag fitted with a wide star tip
- Neon Orange, Neon Green, and Neon Purple gel food coloring
- 3 cups Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
For The Cookie Cauldrons:
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate melting wafers in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring after each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
- Separate the Oreo cookies, making sure all the filling is on one side of the cookie.
- Once the chocolate is melted, spoon about 1 teaspoon into the center of the cookie filling
- Press a popsicle stick into the chocolate and spoon about ½ teaspoon of chocolate onto the popsicle stick.
- Place the other cookie half on top of the popsicle stick and gently press. Allow the chocolate to harden in the center. Once the chocolate is hardened, if you need to, re-melt the chocolate in the bowl.
- Once melted and smooth, carefully dip the cookie on the popsicle stick. Tap the edge of the bowl a few times to get rid of excess chocolate.
- Take the black pearl sprinkles and place one sprinkle on the bottom of each side for the cauldron “legs” Place the “cauldron” onto the silicon baking mat and allow to completely dry. Repeat the steps with 11 more cookies.
- While the cauldron is drying, melt the green candy melts following the directions in Step 1 above. Once melted spoon into the disposable piping bag and cut the tip off.
- Once the “cauldron” is completely dry, gently peel it off the silicone mat. While holding the cauldron in one hand, hold the piping bag in the other. Pipe the green candy melt onto the cauldron and make it look like ooze coming from the top of the cauldron.
- Place green pearl sprinkles on the green candy melt, giving it a 3D effect. Place a few purple pearl sprinkles, green skulls, candy eyes, and bat sprinkles onto the green candy melt to give the cauldron more characteristics. Allow the chocolate to harden.
For The Cauldron Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place 12 cupcake liners into a standard cupcake pan. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat the cake mix, eggs, milk, and butter until combined and smooth.
- Divide the batter into three bowls. Mix a few drops of orange food coloring into one bowl, a few drops of purple food coloring into the second bowl, and a few drops of green food coloring into the third bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Take a tablespoon of the orange batter and spoon into the cupcake liners.
- Next, take a tablespoon of the green batter and spoon into the cupcake liners.
- Lastly, add a tablespoon of purple batter to the cupcake liners.
- Repeat until the liners are about 2/3 full. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes. Remove and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
For The Buttercream Frosting:
- Pour the Halloween sprinkles into a bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric hand or stand mixer beat the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla until combined. Mix until the frosting is creamy and forms a peak.
- Divide the frosting between three bowls. Mix a few drops of the neon purple gel food coloring into one bowl, neon orange in a second bowl, and neon green in a third bowl. Mix with a spoon until thoroughly combined and no white is showing.
- Scoop each color into the piping bag. Pipe a thick layer of frosting on top of a cupcake. Roll the cupcake in Halloween sprinkles until coated. Pipe frosting into the center of the sprinkle-coated frosting layer. Carefully place the “cauldron” into the center of the frosting Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1557Total Fat: 86gSaturated Fat: 36gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 45gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 195gFiber: 3gSugar: 147gProtein: 5g
All nutrition information is estimated. For accuracy, please calculate your exact brands and ingredients if accuracy is desired.
Meet the Creator
Hi there, I’m Sarah Nenni-Daher. I’m a crafty gal and always have at least 14 projects going at once. I am a crafter, designer, DIYer, and pattern maker. I share my creations here and in the Ruffles and Rain Boots® Shop.
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots®, you’ll find DIY gnomes, crafts, gifts, cupcakes, laser crafts, and so much more. I love sharing video tutorials over on YouTube and chatting with other crafters in my Facebook groups. We’d love to have you!