• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sweet Mouth Joy
  • Home
  • About
  • Bars & Slices
  • Breads & Muffins
  • Brownies & Blondies
  • Cakes
  • Cakesicles & Cake Pops
  • Cheesecakes
  • Cookies & Biscuits
  • Frostings & Decorations
  • Sauces & Condiments
  • Contact
  • Blog
menu icon
go to homepage
  • St. Patrick's Day
  • Easter Treats
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter Treats
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Halloween

    Maleficent Cupcakes

    Published: Oct 15, 2022 · Modified: Jan 28, 2023 by Kachina · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Maleficent cupcakes are the perfect mix of spooky and cute! With a dark dusky pink buttercream and edible black horns, they’re a fun Disney Maleficent cupcake idea.

    halloween disney dusky pink maleficent cupcake with edible black horns topper in an opened cupcake case.
    Jump to:
    • ✏️ Recipe creation
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 📖 Method
    • 🎥 Recipe video
    • 💭 Top tips
    • ❔ Recipe FAQs
    • ♻️ Variations
    • 🧁 Other goodies
    • 📋 Recipe
    • Maleficent Cupcakes
    • 💬 Comments

    ✏️ Recipe creation

    I wanted to create an easy Halloween cupcake with a Disney twist for kids and adults to enjoy. They’re now one of my favourite easy Disney cupcake ideas, perfect for both Disney-themed parties and Halloween celebrations!

    They could also be used as a cute devil or demon cupcakes instead.

    These simple chocolate Maleficent cupcakes have a vanilla-flavoured gothic pink-purple frosting topped with edible horns to decorate.

    They're based on my best chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting recipe, but the cute dusty pink shade used here makes them a girly Halloween cupcake that will definitely be popular with the little ones!

    Use a black cupcake case for the full spooky effect.

    🥘 Ingredients

    maleficent cupcakes recipe ingredients in bowls with labels.

    This Disney Maleficent Halloween cupcake recipe calls for the following ingredients:

    1. Chocolate cupcakes

    • Egg
    • Vegetable oil (or other neutral-flavoured oil)
    • Milk
    • Vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
    • White sugar (finely granulated or caster sugar)
    • All-purpose flour (plain flour)
    • Unsweetened cocoa powder (e.g. dutch-processed)
    • Baking powder
    • Hot coffee (or instant coffee dissolved in hot water)

    2. Horns topper

    • Black fondant icing (modelling icing)

    3. Dusky pink buttercream

    • Unsalted butter
    • Icing sugar (powdered confectioners’ sugar)
    • Vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
    • Milk
    • Salt (optional)
    • Dark pink food colouring (or purple and red)

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than using cups.

    Ingredient substitutions

    You can swap the plain flour in this recipe for self-raising flour of the same quantity. If doing this, exclude the baking powder too.

    You can use whole, semi-skimmed or non-diary milk in the cupcake batter and buttercream. For the buttercream, this gives it a thinner, creamier consistency, so only add as much as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.

    You can swap white sugar for light brown soft sugar instead. This gives it a more caramel flavour.

    Using coffee gives your cake a deeper chocolate flavour. You can swap the freshly brewed coffee for 2 teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved in 75ml (⅓ cup) of hot water. Caffeinated or decaf works.

    Alternatively, you can omit the coffee and just use hot water alone instead.

    For the food colouring in the buttercream, I like to use dark pink or a small amount of purple and red. You can also use a mix of red and blue instead.

    Ingredient tips

    • Take your butter out of the fridge to soften before you start making your frosting.
    • Using unsalted butter lets you control the amount of salt in your buttercream.
    • Sieve your flour, baking powder and powdered sugar (a.k.a icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar) for a smooth cupcake batter and icing.
    • I prefer using vanilla extract to vanilla essence. It has a purer vanilla flavour as it’s less processed.
    • Using oil or gel food colouring is best as it adds less liquid than other types.
    • I use a black soft fondant that's "ready to roll" - this makes it super easy to work with and shape.
    several halloween disney maleficent cupcakes with edible black horns topper and dried rose petals scattered.

    📖 Method

    Chocolate cupcakes

    recipe method steps for how to make chocolate cupcakes steps 1 to 4.

    First, preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F.

    Step 1: In a mixing bowl, beat the egg, oil, vanilla, sugar and milk together until fully combined.

    Step 2: In a separate bowl, sieve in the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder and whisk them together.

    Step 3: Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring together as you pour until just combined. There may be a few small lumps left, but that’s ok.

    Step 4: Slowly add in the hot coffee (fresh or instant), mixing as you pour until the liquid has only just combined.

    recipe method steps for how to make chocolate cupcakes steps 5 to 6.

    Step 5: Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases in the muffin tin.

    Step 6: Bake for 15-20mins until risen and springy to the touch. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

    Horns toppers

    recipe method steps for how to make Maleficent horns toppers steps 1 to 4.

    Step 1: While your cupcakes bake and cool, make your horn decorations. Pinch off a grape-sized piece of black fondant and split it into two.

    Step 2: Roll one half into a log on a flat surface using your fingers. It should be roughly 2 inches long and thicker at one end than the other.

    Step 3: Pinch the thinner end to make a sharp point then bend and twist the log into a wavy shape.

    Repeat with the other half, twisting into an opposite wave to make a matching pair. Place the horns on a lined plate or tray.

    Step 4: Repeat the above two steps until you have enough pairs of horns for your cupcakes. Leave the tray of horns uncovered at room temperature to dry out slightly while you make the buttercream.

    Dusky pink buttercream and assembly

    recipe method steps for how to make buttercream frosting steps 1 to 4.

    Step 1: Beat the butter (either by hand, using an electric mixer or stand mixer) until pale, light and fluffy. This could take several minutes.

    Steps 2 - 3: Sieve half of the icing sugar into the butter and beat until combined, then repeat this with the remaining half of the icing sugar.

    Step 4: Add in the vanilla extract, salt and milk, then mix until smooth.

    recipe method steps for how to assemble Maleficent cupcakes steps 5 to 8.

    Steps 5 - 6: Stir in the dusky pink (or purple and red) food colouring, a few drops at a time, until you get the desired colour.

    Step 7: Once your cupcakes have fully cooled, add your buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice (e.g. large open star) and pipe large swirls onto each cupcake.

    Step 8: Push a pair of horns into each of your cupcakes and enjoy!

    🎥 Recipe video

    Check out the recipe video below for how to make the best Halloween Disney Maleficent cupcakes!

    💭 Top tips

    Chocolate cupcakes

    • I position my cupcake pan in the middle of the oven when possible. This usually gives a more even bake and my baking temperatures specified in the recipe are based on using this part of the oven.
    • For a super smooth sponge batter, cream together you butter and sugar thoroughly to start with. You’ll get such soft and fluffy cupcakes from this, like little lemon clouds of yum!
    • Try to fill each cupcake case with your batter to just over the halfway point but not more than ⅔ full. Too much and you’ll get muffin tops, but too little and you’ll have mini cupcakes!
    • You’ll know your chocolate cupcakes are cooked when they’ve risen and an inserted skewer or toothpick comes out clean from the centre.

    Horn toppers

    • For your set of horns, it’s best to twist slightly as you bend them into a wave shape.
    • For best results, twist one horn in one direction and the other horn for the pair in the opposite direction.
    • Your horns will droop and soften over time or with heat and moisture, so it’s best to handle them as little as possible and allow them to dry out slightly to hold firm.

    Dusky pink buttercream

    • For creamy frosting, beat your butter until it’s pale, light and fluffy first. This could take several minutes with an electric mixer.
    • To stop a cloud of sugar from an electric mixer, lightly stir your powdered sugar into the beaten butter a little before turning the mixer on.
    • If your pink frosting is too thick to pipe, then you can add more milk to thin it (½ tablespoon at a time).
    • If your frosting is too thin, you can try chilling it in the fridge for 10-20mins before use. Alternatively, you can beat in a few more tablespoons of butter to thicken it.

    ❔ Recipe FAQs

    How long do homemade Maleficent cupcakes last?

    Your Maleficent cupcakes should last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

    Can you freeze Maleficent cupcakes?

    Yes! You can freeze your Maleficent cupcakes without the horns. Wrap them in a layer of cling film and a layer of foil for up to 3 months.

    Can you make Maleficent cupcakes ahead of time?

    Yes, you can make your chocolate cupcake sponges ahead of time and freeze the unfrosted cupcakes. Defrost before you add your buttercream and enjoy.

    Alternatively, you can make the cupcakes and/or dusky pink buttercream a few days in advance. Your cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Your pink buttercream should be in an airtight container in the fridge.

    Why have my Halloween cupcakes sunk in the middle?

    This could be caused by a few things. You might have scooped in too much baking powder, e.g. instead of using a levelled scoop from a measuring spoon.

    Another reason could be that you opened the oven partway through baking which caused your oven temp to drop rapidly and sinkhole your cupcakes.

    How do you get rid of air bubbles in frosting?

    To get rid of air bubbles in your frosting, beat it on a low speed using a paddle attachment before using it. The whisk attachment can sometimes add too much air.

    Alternatively, you can stir it with a spatula or wooden spoon by hand for a few minutes.

    Is cake flour the same as plain flour or self-raising flour?

    No, cake flour is actually different to both plain flour and self-raising flour. It has a different composition and your cake will have a different consistency if you use cake flour.

    halloween disney dusky pink maleficent cupcake with edible black horns topper in an opened cupcake case.

    ♻️ Variations

    Filling ideas

    Why not add a delicious surprise to your tasty Halloween cupcakes?

    These chocolate and vanilla cupcakes are delicious as they are, but you can also cut a small hole in the center of a cupcake and add a filling of your choice before frosting them.

    For fruit-flavoured goodness, add a teaspoon of lemon curd filling or strawberry cupcake filling.

    You could also fill the inside with Halloween sprinkles for a pinata surprise.

    Frosting flavours

    You can swap the pink icing in this recipe for another flavour.

    If you’d like a naturally pink frosting, give this raspberry buttercream a try – it uses real raspberries for a punchy flavour! You can then add shades of purple or blue food colouring for a more gothic dusky pink shade.

    Shades of pink

    I like to make these Halloween Disney cupcakes with a spooky dusky pink-purple shade for the frosting. It reminds me of a dark pink rose colour!

    However, you can pick different shades, like hot pink or pastel pink instead.

    To do this, alter how much pink, purple or red food coloring you add. Only use a few drops at a time until it’s the colour you want.

    Also, colouring normally intensifies over time, so it will develop a brighter shade after a few minutes to hours.

    Decorations and toppings

    In addition to your devilish horns, you can top your Disney Halloween cupcake with Halloween sprinkles and dried rose petals for more spooky season fun.

    Why not make two small flat disks with leftover black fondant to create mickey mouse ears. You can place them behind the horns for a more Disney-themed cupcake!

    Or for a devil cupcake you can use red food colouring instead of pink/purple, and give it a more spooky demonic theme.

    Gluten-free option

    To make gluten-free Maleficent cupcakes, swap the plain flour for gluten-free flour. I recommend using a gluten-free plain flour blend, such as King Arthur's measure for measure flour or Freee from Doves Farm.

    You should also add ½ teaspoon of xantham gum to the chocolate cupcake batter if your flour blend doesn’t already include this in the ingredients.

    For the best-ever gluten-free cupcakes, add an extra 1 teaspoon milk and 1 teaspoon oil to the batter.

    Beat your batter really well and let it stand for 20mins before pouring it into your cupcake cases and baking.

    You might also need to bake your cupcakes for an extra 3-5mins too.

    🧁 Other goodies

    Looking for some other goodies to make?

    For more fun Halloween-themed dessert ideas, check out these spooky Halloween treats:

    • Pink Halloween drip cake
    • Halloween boo bark
    • Halloween graveyard dirt cake
    • Pumpkin cake pops
    • Spiderweb cakesicles

    Looking forward to some new recipes? Check out my Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration!

    Or if you’d like to hear about our latest recipes, why not subscribe to our newsletter?

    Other Related Recipes:

    • Pumpkin cake pops
      Pumpkin Cake Pops
    • pink halloween cake with a purple ganache drip decorated with sprinkles and pink monsters.
      Pink Halloween Cake
    • Halloween graveyard chocolate dirt cake
      Halloween Graveyard Dirt Cake
    • cute halloween orange coloured bark with candy eyes and Halloween sprinkles broken into pieces.
      Halloween Boo Bark

    📋 Recipe

    halloween disney dusky pink and chocolate maleficent cupcake with edible black horns topper and dried rose petals scattered.

    Maleficent Cupcakes

    Kachina
    Chocolate cupcakes with a dusky pink vanilla frosting and edible black horns - these Disney Maleficent cupcakes are perfect Halloween treats!

    Rate this recipe here:

    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hr
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine Fusion
    Servings 12 cupcakes

    Equipment

    • Muffin tin
    • Cupcake liners / cases
    • Piping bag* optional
    • Open star piping tip (e.g. Wilton 1M) optional

    Ingredients
     

    Chocolate cupcakes

    • 1 egg
    • 65 ml (¼ cups) vegetable oil or other neutral oil e.g. sunflower
    • 125 ml (½ cups) milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 165 g (¾ cups) white sugar finely granulated e.g. caster
    • 140 g (1 cups) plain all-purpose flour
    • 45 g (4 tablespoon) unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 75 ml (⅓ cups) hot coffee or 2tsp instant coffee dissolved in 75ml hot water

    Horns topper

    • 70 g (2 ½ oz) black fondant icing

    Dusky pink buttercream

    • 150 g (⅔ cups) unsalted butter
    • 350 g (3 cups) powdered icing sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoon milk
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt optional
    • Dusky pink food colouring or purple/blue plus red/pink

    Instructions
     

    Chocolate cupcakes

    • Pre-heat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F
    • In a mixing bowl, beat the egg, oil, vanilla, sugar and milk together until fully combined.
    • In a separate bowl, sieve in the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder and whisk them together.
    • Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring together as you pour until just combined. There may be a few small lumps left, but that’s ok.
    • Slowly add in the hot coffee (fresh or instant), mixing as you pour until the liquid has only just combined.
    • Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases in the muffin tin and bake for 15-20mins until risen and springy to the touch. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

    Horns toppers

    • While your cupcakes bake and cool, make your horn decorations. Pinch off a grape-sized piece of black fondant and split it into two.
    • Roll one half into a log on a flat surface using your fingers. It should be roughly 2 inches long and thicker at one end than the other.
    • Pinch the thinner end to make a sharp point then bend and twist the log into a wavy shape.
    • Repeat with the other half, twisting into an opposite wave to make a matching pair. Place the horns on a lined plate or tray.
    • Repeat the above two steps until you have enough pairs of horns for your cupcakes. Leave the tray of horns uncovered at room temperature to dry out slightly while you make the buttercream.

    Dusky pink buttercream

    • Beat the butter (either by hand, using an electric mixer or stand mixer) until pale, light and fluffy. This could take several minutes.
    • Sieve half of the icing sugar into the butter and beat until combined, then repeat this with the remaining half of icing sugar.
    • Add in the vanilla extract, salt and milk, then mix until smooth.
    • Stir in the food colouring, a few drops at a time, until you get the desired colour.

    Assembly

    • Once your cupcakes have fully cooled, add your buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice (e.g. large open star) and pipe large swirls onto each cupcake.
    • Push two horns into your cupcakes and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    Servings: Makes 10-12 cupcakes depending on cupcake case size.
    Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
    Note - the horns might soften over time so serve as soon as possible to avoid droopy horns!
    Freezing: Freeze your cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted, but not decorated) for up to 3 months before defrosting and decorating with horns.
    Substitutions:
    • I use a mix of purple and red food colouring to get the dusky pink-purple shade. You can use a mix of red and blue, or a dusky pink food colouring.
    • You can swap the plain flour for self-raising flour of the same amount and exclude the baking powder.
    • I like to use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip, but you can use any tip of your choice

    Nutrition

    Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 354IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetmouthjoy or tag #sweetmouthjoy!

    More Tasty Halloween Dessert Recipes

    • collage of the 21 best spider dessert ideas.
      21 Best Spider Dessert Ideas
    • A collage of the best halloween cake pop ideas
      Best Halloween Cake Pop Ideas
    • Spiderweb marbled orange cakesicles - marshmallow and orange halloween cake pops
      Spiderweb Marbled Orange Cakesicles
    • Poorly pumpkin patch cake - chocolate tahini drip cake
      Poorly Pumpkin Patch Cake (Chocolate Tahini Drip Cake)

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Kachina from Sweet Mouth Joy

    Hi there! I'm Kachina, and I'm a smidge obsessed with baking. I love making all things sweet and I hope I can convince you to join in my addiction by sharing some of my favourite dessert recipes with you.

    Happy baking!

    More about me →

    Easter Desserts

    • Easter chocolate bunny rabbit sitting in a muddy hole made of chocolate cake and chocolate frosting with mini eggs decorating it
      Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake
    • Easter chocolate cornflake nest cakes in cupcake liners topped with mini eggs
      Chocolate Cornflake Nest Cakes
    • hot cross bun muffins with golden syrup glaze and icing cross
      Hot Cross Bun Muffins (Without Yeast)
    • Easter Chick Lemon and Vanilla Cupcakes
      Lemon Chick Cupcakes
    • Malteser bunny chocolate malt cupcakes
      Chocolate Bunny Cupcakes
    • best Easter bunny cake and cupcakes ideas in a collage
      Best Easter Bunny Cake Ideas

    More Easter dessert recipes→

    Popular Recipes

    • golden syrup dripping off spoon
      Best Substitutes for Golden Syrup
    • matcha green tea cheesecake with matcha powder dusted on top and oreos in front with a bowl of matcha on the side
      Matcha Green Tea No-Bake Cheesecake
    • baby pink frosting buttercream icing piped onto a pink buttercream cake.
      Pink Buttercream Frosting
    • strawberry cake filling sauce being spread onto a cake layer with a jar of strawberry filling behind
      Strawberry Cake Filling
    • lemon white chocolate cake recipe
      Lemon White Chocolate Cake
    • orange buttercream being frosted onto a cupcake
      Orange Buttercream Frosting with Orange Extract

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Sweet Mouth Joy

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More

    Accept Decline Cookie Settings
    I consent to the use of following cookies:
    Cookie Declaration About Cookies
    Necessary (0) Marketing (0) Analytics (0) Preferences (0) Unclassified (0)
    Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
    We do not use cookies of this type.
    Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.
    We do not use cookies of this type.
    Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
    We do not use cookies of this type.
    Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.
    We do not use cookies of this type.
    Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies.
    We do not use cookies of this type.
    Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.
    Cookie Settings