Hey friends! I’m teaming up with Zulka® again to bring you one more festive Día de los Muertos recipe, and it’s a good one! These Black and White Sugar Skull Cupcakes have a rich, moist, chocolate base and a thick white chocolate buttercream frosting. Oh, and let’s not forget those cute little sugar skulls on top! They’re the perfect party treat!
I love a good chocolate cupcake, how about you? These cupcakes have taken me forever to perfect, but I can honestly say after about 3 batches of tender, moist, ultra chocolatey cupcakes, I’m satisfied. I wanted to do something to play off of the black and white theme that’s associated with sugar skulls (of course there’s lots of color too), so I whipped up a sweet white chocolate frosting. I’ve never used white chocolate in buttercream before, but it was insanely delicious. I topped the cupcakes with some bright sprinkles and a solid white chocolate sugar skull. My husband absolutely LOVED them. He’s begged me to make them again at least 5x now. Win!
For these cupcakes I used all three Zulka® Non-GMO Project Verified sugars: Zulka® Morena Sugar, Powdered Sugar and Brown Sugar. They come from freshly harvested sugar cane which means they have a natural, unrefined flavor that makes it them the ideal replacement for conventional sugars. Did I mention that you don’t have to do any crazy conversions? It’s a cup-for-cup substitute!
I used the Morena sugar and the brown sugar in the cupcake base and the powdered sugar in the frosting. They added a nice richness to the cupcakes that I just loved!
For the skulls I used a little skull mold I found, but that one is no longer available, so I have found a similar skull mold on Amazon that will work great. I just melted the white chocolate down and re-solidified it in the mold. Super easy. I even stuffed a few with sprinkles… because the more sprinkles the merrier, right? I took my cupcake corer (you can use a knife to) and made a small well in the center of each cupcake to pour sprinkles in. I ditched the core and just piped the frosting over top. I was so happy with how these turned out. Not only did they taste amazing but they looked pretty darn cute too!
I hope you’ll bake up a batch of these black and white sugar skull cupcakes for your Día de los Muertos party, or you know, whatever occasion you want to celebrate… because they’re way too good to only make once a year! Enjoy & happy baking!
Zulka® Pure cane sugars are available at most major retailers as well as local grocery stores too!
Skull Cupcakes Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter - melted
- 1/2 cup canola oil - OR vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup pure cane sugar - We like Zulka brand
- 1/2 cup pure cane brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 oz bittersweet chocolate - 60%, melted
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 egg yolks - room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder - sifted
- 1/2 salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup buttermilk - OR sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup warm water - +½ tsp espresso powder
White Chocolate Frosting
- 6 oz white chocolate - melted and cooled
- 1 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
- 2-2 1/2 cup pure cane powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
White Chocolate Sugar Skulls
- 6 oz white chocolate - melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line two standard-sized cupcake pans with 18 cupcake liners; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, oil, sugars, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate until smooth. With the mixing speed on low, add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. With the mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients along with the sour cream (or buttermilk) and the warm water/espresso mixture. Mix just until combined. Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cups, filling ⅔ of the way full (I like to use a large scoop, a #20). Place in the oven and bake for 17–20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake! Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Frosting
- Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixing speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Pour in the white chocolate and beat for 2 additional minutes or until creamy. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt; beat for 1 more minute or until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if needed. Frost the cooled cupcakes with a large pastry tip or an offset spatula.
To Make the Skulls
- To make the white chocolate sugar skull shapes, pour the melted white chocolate into the mold. Place in the refrigerator to firm up. If desired, add details using an edible marker or black frosting. Place on top of the frosted cupcakes and garnish with festive sprinkles.
NOTES
Nutrition
Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Zulka® Pure Cane Sugars. As always, all opinions are my own.
What sprinkle mix did you use??
Hi Kristyn, I used a mix from Sweetapolita. I’m not sure if she still makes that particular mix.
These look so yummy! Thank you for sharing.
WOW, these are the coolest Halloween cupcakes I’ve seen! And they’re super cute!
oh these look so yummy!