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These friendly Ghost Cupcakes showcase homemade cream cheese frosting and ghoulish marshmallows on top of fudgy chocolate cupcakes made without eggs or oil. Instead, boxed cake mix is mixed with Greek yogurt to make a lightened-up Halloween treat!
Check out my Halloween Guacamole and my Pumpkin Spice Smoothies for more Halloween fun!
If you’re looking for a fun Halloween dessert to decorate with the kids, look no further than these adorably spooky ghost cupcakes. These darling little ghouls are super easy to make and even easier to eat!
The cupcake is a boxed chocolate cake mix made with Greek yogurt instead of eggs and heavy oil, but you’d never know it. They turn out just as soft, fluffy, and sweet. The cream cheese frosting also enlists Greek yogurt to lighten things up and is a cinch to make from scratch.
Most importantly, don’t be frightened by the ghosts -there’s no fondant involved. Instead, the ghosts are made with marshmallows, an edible marker, and pretzel sticks! Ghost assembly is a great way to keep the kids busy while the cupcakes bake and cool.
These not-so-scary Halloween ghost cupcakes are guaranteed to make you the ghostess with the mostest at Halloween gatherings, cupcake decorating parties, and whenever that spooky season sweet tooth strikes!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It’s half-homemade. The chocolate cupcakes are from a boxed cake mix, and the cream cheese frosting is made from scratch.
- Made with no eggs and no oil. Instead, the cake mix is mixed with Greek yogurt, so the cupcakes have fewer calories but the same fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Great for beginners. Kids love decorating these ghoulish guys.
- It’s easy to customize. You can attach the marshmallow ghost topper to any frosted cupcake flavor.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chocolate Cake Mix: You can’t go wrong with a box of Betty Crocker's super moist chocolate cake mix, but you can use any boxed chocolate cake mix or bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes from scratch.
- Greek Yogurt: Keeps the cupcakes tender as they bake and improves the moist crumb.
- Water: This is a standard liquid ingredient for a boxed cake mix.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: You can use store-bought cream cheese frosting, but nothing beats making it from scratch. To make my sugar-free cream cheese frosting, you will need softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, Swerve zero-calorie confectioners’ sugar, and pure vanilla extract.
- Ghost Toppers: They are made with marshmallows, an edible marker, and pretzel sticks!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare for baking.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. This recipe makes enough batter for 15 cupcakes, so you need two 12-cup muffin pans. Line the muffin pan cups with cupcake liners (even better if they are Halloween-themed!).
Step 2: Mix cake batter.
Using a handheld mixer, mix the cake mix, Greek yogurt, and water in a large bowl until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
Step 3: Pour, bake, and cool.
Pour the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cupcake liner ⅔ full, and bake until the cupcakes are set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove the cupcakes from the pan and move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Step 4: Make ghost toppers
Meanwhile, bring the marshmallow ghosts to life! To make their not-so-scary faces, use an edible black marker to draw two small circles for the eyes and a larger circle below for the mouth.
Step 5: Make cream cheese frosting.
Blend softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
Step 6: Frost and attach ghost toppers.
Once cooled, top each cupcake with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting. Then skewer a marshmallow through the middle with a pretzel stick, leaving half of the stick exposed. Poke the exposed end into the cupcake, gently pressing until the ghost’s bottom rests on the frosting. Work through the batch until each cupcake is frosted and topped with a ghostly marshmallow.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Do not overwork the cake batter. It’s best to pour it into the pan immediately after mixing and get the pan in the oven asap. The less fussing, the better!
- Do not overfill the cupcake liners. If there’s too much batter, it will spill over the sides during baking.
- A 3-tablespoon cookie scoop is a handy tool for filling each muffin cup with the right amount of cake batter. It also helps achieve nicely rounded and smooth tops.
Variations
Make rainbow ghostmallows – Use assorted fruit-flavored marshmallows instead of regular marshmallows. Use gel food coloring to dye the frosting to match the pastel-colored marshmallows.
Extra chocolatey chocolate cupcakes– Upgrade the base chocolate cupcake with more chocolate! After mixing the dry batter and wet ingredients, fold ¾ - 1 cup of mini semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips directly into the cake batter before pouring it into the muffin pan.
Frosting options – These chocolate cupcakes are fantastic decorated with any frosting. You can swap the cream cheese frosting with store-bought classic buttercream or fluffy marshmallow frosting. You can also frost the cupcakes with dollops of creamy Cool Whip.
Cake mix options – Your precious marshmallow ghosts won’t mind sitting on top of other cupcake flavors. Red velvet, carrot cake, and pumpkin spice cupcakes are perfect for Halloween, and they go great with cream cheese frosting.
Storing & Freezing
Storing frosted chocolate cupcakes: Keep decorated ghost cupcakes in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap laid over the top to keep moisture from escaping and the cupcakes from drying out. Store the sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Storing cream cheese frosting: You can make the icing and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for one month. Let frozen frosting thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it.
Recipe FAQ's
If you do not have an edible marker, you can use the end of a toothpick or wooden skewer to dot chocolate syrup, chocolate sauce, or black cookie icing on the marshmallow to create the face and mouth.
Sure! To pipe a frosting ghost, place stable frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and swirl a dollop on each cupcake, making it wider at the bottom and more narrow at the top. You can use chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, or royal icing for the eyes and mouth.
More Sweet Treats
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Spooky Halloween Ghost Cupcakes
Ingredients
For Cupcakes
- 15.25 ounce box chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup water
- 15 marshmallows
- 15 pretzel sticks
For Frosting
- ½ cup cream cheese
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons Swerve confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. This recipe makes enough batter for 15 cupcakes, so you need two 12-cup muffin pans. Line the muffin pan cups with cupcake liners (even better if they are Halloween-themed!).
- Using a handheld mixer, mix the cake mix, Greek yogurt, and water in a large bowl until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Pour the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cupcake liner ⅔ full, and bake until the cupcakes are set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove the cupcakes from the pan and move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Meanwhile, bring the marshmallow ghosts to life! To make their not-so-scary faces, use an edible black marker to draw two small circles for the eyes and a larger circle below for the mouth.
- Blend softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Once cooled, top each cupcake with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting. Then skewer a marshmallow through the middle with a pretzel stick, leaving half of the stick exposed. Poke the exposed end into the cupcake, gently pressing until the ghost’s bottom rests on the frosting. Work through the batch until each cupcake is frosted and topped with a ghostly marshmallow.
Notes
- Do not overwork the cake batter. It’s best to pour it into the pan immediately after mixing and get the pan in the oven asap. The less fussing, the better!
- Do not overfill the cupcake liners. If there’s too much batter, it will spill over the sides during baking.
- A 3-tablespoon cookie scoop is a handy tool for filling each muffin cup with the right amount of cake batter. It also helps achieve nicely rounded and smooth tops.
- Storing frosted chocolate cupcakes: Keep decorated ghost cupcakes in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap laid over the top to keep moisture from escaping and the cupcakes from drying out. Store the sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Storing cream cheese frosting: You can make the icing and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for one month. Let frozen frosting thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Dannii
These are super cute. I am going to make them with my daughter at the weekend.
Emily Liao
Just made these cupcakes and they were perfect! Loved the flavor and texture.
Kathryn Donangelo
I am so excited to make these for Halloween, this is such a cute and easy idea with a festive and spooky twist. Thank you!
Angela
Fun recipe for kids to help out with.
Luci
These Halloween Ghost cupcakes are too cute! I am definitely going to be making these with my little one! I know he'll love assembling and eating them!