Ghosts are an essential part of the Scooby-Doo cartoon (even if they do usually turn out to be just some guy in a mask 😉), so I thought it would be fun to make a ghost-themed dessert for this month’s menu. I loved the idea of making spook cupcakes, and I decided to tie-dye the frosting for some psychedelic 60’s flair, perfect for Scooby-Doo! I started with my go-to chocolate cupcake and vanilla frosting recipe from my cookbook and gave the frosting an orange, lime green, hot pink, and light blue swirl. Then I used this recipe to make my own homemade marshmallow ghosts (but you can totally go with store bought ghost Peeps, if you want). These sweet little specters are a perfect addition to any Halloween menu or Scooby-Doo birthday party!

Note: The marshmallow mixture for the ghosts needs to set overnight.

A

Scooby Doo Tie-Dye Spook Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

• For the Marshmallow Spooks
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 1/2 tbsp gelatin powder
  • 1/2 cup regular water
  • 1/3 cup corn syrup
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • a ghost-shaped cookie cutter (I used the 3″ cutter from this Halloween Wilton pack, but I had to cut about 1/2″ off the bottom since they were a little too tall.)
  • a black food pen
  • NOTE: You can always skip the homemade version and just top you cupcakes with ghost Peeps, but I like making marshmallows! ^.^
• For the Cupcakes
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs, room temp
  • 2 1/2 tbsp sour cream
  • 3/4 tsp distilled white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
• For the Frosting
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, separated
  • 3 tbsp milk, separated
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • gel food coloring (I used orange and magenta from the Wilton neon pack; green, yellow, and blue from the Wilton primary pack; and blue from the Wilton pastel pack)

 

Makes 12 cupcakes

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the Marshmallow Ghosts: Line a 13″x9″ pan with two perpendicular sheets of tin foil and coat with cooking spray (make sure the foil hangs off the edge so you have something to grab onto when pulling it out of pan later). Set aside.
   
2. Add the 1/2 cup cold water to the bowl of a standing mixer and sprinkle in the gelatin powder. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
3. While you wait, add the 1/2 cup regular water, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Do not stir. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Allow to heat for 6-8 minutes (you want it to reach 240°). Remove from heat.
   
4. Beat the gelatin mix in your mixer on low for about 45 seconds to break it up a little bit. Keeping the mixer running, slowly and gently pour the sugar mix into the mixer, being careful not to hit the side of the bowl. Gradually increase the mixer speed to high, allowing it to beat the mixture for about 30 seconds at each speed before increasing.
5. Continue beating for 10-12 minutes. At the 9 minute mark, pour in the vanilla extract. The sides of the bowl should cool somewhat, and the mix will become bright white, opaque, and stringy around the top of the whisk.
   
6. Spray a spatula with cooking spray. VERY QUICKLY scrape the marshmallow mix from the bowl into the foil-lined pan and spread it out evenly. Don’t worry about trying to get it all out of the bowl. It cools quickly and gets sticky and solid as it cools, so you won’t get it all out. The most important thing is getting it spread out in the pan before it cools.
7. Add 1/2 cup each cornstarch and powdered sugar in a small bowl and whisk together. Dust 2 tbsp over the top of the marshmallow mix and cover the marshmallow mix with plastic wrap. Allow to set overnight.
   
8. Spray a ghost-shaped cookie cutter with cooking spray and cut 12 spooks from your marshmallow rectangle (You’ll want to cut them very close together so you get enough spooks). Toss the spooks in the remaining powdered sugar mix and tap off the excess. Use a black food pen to draw the faces. Set aside.

   

9. For the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°. Fill a cupcake tin with liners and set aside. Whisk together all the dry ingredients except the sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.
10. Cream the butter on medium speed in a large bowl. Beat in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the sour cream and vinegar. Alternate beating in the dry mix and buttermilk.
11. Fill the liners half full and bake for 15-17 minutes for until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when firmly tapped with a finger. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
    
12. For the Frosting: Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Beat the butter on medium speed in a standing mixer until smooth. Beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and beat until combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Beat in the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk. Alternate beating in the remaining powdered sugar and milk.
13. Divide the frosting evenly between 4 small bowls. Add 5 drops orange gel coloring to the first bowl, 3 drops magenta coloring to the second, 3 drops yellow and 4 drops green to the third, and 3 drops pastel blue and 1 drop regular blue to the fourth. Stir the bowls of frosting with separate spoons until coloring is well combined.
14. Add spoonfuls of each color to a piping bag fitted with a jumbo star tip (I used a Wilton 2D tip). As you layer on new spoonfuls, you want to change up which colors are where, so you don’t wind up with huge pockets of one color. Try to avoid having orange and green right next to each other when you can, as these colors make a muted yellow-green when they mix. It’s not the end of the world if they mix, I just don’t think it looks as nice as all the other colors.
15. Pipe your frosting onto your cooled cupcakes in large swirls. Place a spook on top of each cupcake, pressing to adhere.
    
    

    

16. Serve to Mystery INC’s most recently captured spook!

 

 

Check out some of my cupcake recipes!

Queen of Hearts Painted Rose Cupcakes from my cookbook!

Bilbo’s Birthday Cupcakes from LoTR

Wild Thing Cupcakes from Where the Wild Things Are