Gordon Ramsay Spooky Chocolate Spider Treats

Chocolate cupcakes turned into fuzzy spiders: a tall dome of chocolate frosting rolled in chocolate sprinkles, eight piped chocolate legs and two candy eyes. They look detailed, but it’s one bowl of batter and a piping bag. They take about 1 hour 20 minutes and kids love helping put the spiders together.

A Halloween bake of my own rather than a Ramsay recipe. The order of work is what makes it easy: pipe the legs first so they set in the fridge while the cupcakes bake and cool.

Ingredients

For the chocolate cupcakes

• 150 g plain flour
• 200 g caster sugar
• 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 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 frosting

• 115 g unsalted butter, softened
• 250 g icing sugar, sifted
• 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 tbsp whole milk

For the spiders

• 100 g dark chocolate, for the legs
• 80 g chocolate sprinkles (jimmies), for coating
• 3 tbsp orange and black Halloween sprinkles
• 24 candy eyes

Method

1. Pipe the legs first. Melt the chocolate and spoon it into a piping bag with a small round tip. On a parchment-lined tray, pipe 96 gently curved legs, about 5 cm long and roughly as thick as a pencil, plus a dozen spares. Thin legs snap. Chill for at least 20 minutes until they lift cleanly off the paper.
   
2. 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, stir them in, then stir in the hot water. The batter is thin, which is right. Fill each case two-thirds full; overfilled cupcakes dome too high and the spiders sit crooked.
   
3. Bake and cool completely. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave them in the tin for 5 minutes, then cool fully on a rack. Warm cupcakes melt frosting.
   
4. Frost tall domes. Beat the butter until pale, then beat in the icing sugar, cocoa and milk until smooth. Chill it for 10 minutes so it holds a shape, then pipe or spoon a tall dome on each cupcake.
   
5. Roll in sprinkles straight away. Roll each dome gently in a shallow bowl of chocolate sprinkles, pressing lightly. Do it while the frosting is fresh; once it crusts, the sprinkles bounce off. Scatter the Halloween sprinkles on top.
   
6. Add legs and eyes. Push 8 legs into each dome, 4 on each side, angled slightly down. If the legs have softened, chill them for 10 minutes first. Finish with two candy eyes on the front.
   

Variations

• Boxed mix: bake 12 cupcakes from a box following the package; everything else stays the same.
• Peanut butter spiders: beat 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter into the frosting.
• Mini spiders: bake in a mini muffin tin for 10–12 minutes and pipe shorter legs.
• Web drizzle: drizzle melted white chocolate over the finished spiders.

Timing and storage

Pipe the legs and bake the cupcakes a day ahead, then frost and assemble on party day. Undecorated cupcakes keep for 2 days in an airtight tin or a month in the freezer; the legs keep for a week in a sealed box in the fridge. Assembled spiders are best within 24 hours, kept chilled in a single layer. The recipe is nut-free as written, but check the labels on your candy eyes and sprinkles.

Cupcake Recipes

Gordon Ramsay Spooky Chocolate Spider Treats

Moist chocolate cupcakes topped with tall sprinkle-coated frosting domes, piped chocolate spider legs and candy eyes. A fun, creepy-cute Halloween bake that is ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Prep
30 minutes

Cook
20 minutes

Total
1 hour 20 minutes

Serves
12 cupcakes

🖨 Print Recipe

Ingredients

150 g plain flour200 g caster sugar40 g unsweetened cocoa powder1 1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda1/4 tsp fine salt2 large eggs, at room temperature120 ml whole milk60 ml neutral vegetable oil2 tsp vanilla extract120 ml just-boiled water115 g unsalted butter, softened250 g icing sugar, sifted30 g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (for frosting)2 tbsp whole milk100 g dark chocolate, for the legs80 g chocolate sprinkles (jimmies), for coating3 tbsp orange and black Halloween sprinkles24 candy eyes

Instructions

01

Pipe the spider legs first

Melt the dark chocolate until smooth and spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe 96 gently curved legs (8 per cupcake, about 5 cm long) onto parchment-lined trays. Chill for 20 minutes until completely firm - they will set while the cupcakes bake.

02

Mix the batter

Heat the oven to 175C (350F) and line a 12-hole muffin tin. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. In a jug, whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then stir in the hot water. The batter will be thin - that is correct. Divide among the cases, filling each about two-thirds full.

03

Bake and cool

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating - warm cupcakes melt frosting.

04

Frost tall domes

Beat the butter until pale, then beat in the icing sugar and cocoa in two additions with the milk until smooth and spreadable. Chill the frosting for 10 minutes so it holds its shape, then pipe or spoon a tall dome onto each cooled cupcake.

05

Coat in sprinkles

Tip the chocolate sprinkles into a shallow bowl. Gently roll each frosted dome in the sprinkles until fully coated, pressing lightly so they stick. Scatter the orange and black Halloween sprinkles over the tops.

06

Build the spiders

Press 8 chocolate legs into each dome - 4 per side, angled slightly downward. Finish with two candy eyes pressed into the front. Serve within a few hours for the crispest legs, or chill up to 24 hours.

Chef Tips

• If your kitchen is warm, the piped legs can soften - keep the tray in the fridge until the second you press them in.
• Roll the domes in sprinkles immediately after frosting; once the buttercream crusts, sprinkles bounce off.
• For extra-glossy legs, add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the melted chocolate before piping.
• Make a few spare legs - they are fragile, and spares save the batch if a couple snap.

More Halloween baking: the Spooky Ghost Cupcake Halloween Display uses the same chocolate cupcake, and the Halloween Chocolate Cake makes a bigger centerpiece.