Each of these Halloween cupcakes is a tiny graveyard: a chocolate cupcake with a marbled orange and chocolate swirl of frosting, a white meringue ghost with candy eyes, a chocolate “RIP” tombstone cookie and a little candy pumpkin. They look like they came from a bakery window, but every part is simple baking. The recipe makes 12 and takes about 2 hours 45 minutes, much of it hands-off.
This is a party bake of my own, not a Gordon Ramsay recipe. The way to keep it stress-free is to treat it as three small bakes you can spread over two days, then assemble in 20 minutes on the day.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes (makes 12)
- 150 g plain flour
- 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 120 ml whole milk
- 60 ml neutral vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml just-boiled water
For the meringue ghosts (makes 12)
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- 24 mini candy eyes or black writing icing
For the tombstone cookies (makes 12)
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 180 g plain flour
- 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- White writing icing, for the RIP lettering
For the frosting and finishing
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened
- 300 g icing sugar, sifted
- 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- Orange gel food colouring
- 12 mini pumpkin candies
- 3 tbsp Halloween sprinkles (orange, black, purple)
Plan: what to make when
- Up to 2 days ahead: meringue ghosts and tombstone cookies, stored in airtight containers at room temperature. Never refrigerate meringues; they go soft.
- Up to 1 day ahead: the cupcakes, kept in an airtight tin.
- On the day: frosting and assembly, no more than 4 hours before serving.
Make the decorations
Meringue ghosts
Heat the oven to 90°C (200°F). Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add the sugar a spoonful at a time and whisk to stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in the vanilla. Pipe 12 ghosts, a tall swirl with a rounded head, onto a lined tray. Bake for 75–90 minutes without opening the door, then leave them to cool in the switched-off oven. Cool air or a hot oven is what cracks meringues. Add candy eyes or dot eyes with black icing.
Tombstone cookies
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Beat the butter and sugar until pale, beat in the yolk, then mix in the flour, cocoa and baking powder to a firm dough. Chill for 30 minutes, roll it 5 mm thick and cut 12 tombstone shapes (a knife works if you don’t have a cutter). Bake for 10–12 minutes until set at the edges. Once cool, write RIP on each with white icing.
Bake and decorate the cupcakes
- Mix the batter. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a 12-hole muffin tin. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla in a jug, stir them into the dry mix, then stir in the just-boiled water. The batter will be thin; that’s what makes the cupcakes so moist.
- Bake. Fill each case only two-thirds full so the domes don’t swallow the frosting. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely; even a little warmth melts buttercream.
- Make two frostings. Beat the butter until pale, then beat in the icing sugar and milk until fluffy. Color two-thirds bright orange with gel coloring (liquid coloring thins it), and beat the cocoa into the remaining third.
- Pipe marbled swirls. Lay a sheet of cling film flat, spread the orange frosting in a strip with the chocolate beside it, roll it into a sausage, snip one end and drop it into a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe a tall swirl on each cupcake; both colors come out together and marble as you go.
- Build the graveyard. While the frosting is soft, press a tombstone into each swirl at a slight angle, set a ghost beside it and tuck a candy pumpkin at the base.
- Finish with sprinkles. Scatter sprinkles over the top and arrange the cupcakes on a stand. They’re best within a few hours, while the meringues are crisp.
Shortcuts and variations
- Short on time: use store-bought candy or marshmallow ghosts and skip the meringues. Total time drops to about an hour.
- Graveyard dirt: crumble a spare cupcake over the frosting as “soil” before adding the tombstones.
- Peanut butter swirl: beat 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter into the chocolate frosting.
- Mini version: bake in a mini muffin tin for 10–12 minutes and pipe smaller ghosts.
Frosting can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for a month. Bring it to room temperature and re-whip it for 2 minutes before piping. Finished cupcakes keep for 2 days in the fridge, but the meringues soften, so they’re best on the day.
Gordon Ramsay Spooky Ghost Cupcake Halloween Display
Moist chocolate cupcakes crowned with marbled orange-chocolate frosting swirls, homemade meringue ghosts, chocolate RIP tombstone cookies, and mini pumpkin candies. A showstopping Halloween dessert display that makes 12 cupcakes.
45 minutes
2 hours
2 hours 45 minutes
12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Instructions
Chef Tips
- Make the ghosts and tombstones up to 2 days ahead and keep them in airtight containers at room temperature — never refrigerate meringues, as the fridge softens them.
- Use gel food colouring, not liquid: liquid colouring thins buttercream while gel gives a vivid Halloween orange without changing the texture.
- Fill cases only two-thirds full — fuller liners dome over and swallow the frosting swirl.
- Assemble no more than 4 hours before serving so the meringue ghosts stay crisp.
More Halloween baking: my Spooky Chocolate Spider Treats use the same chocolate cupcake, and the Halloween Chocolate Cake makes a bigger centerpiece.
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