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Happy Halloween week! Today, we woke up to about 5 inches of snow in Montrose so I am all cozied up at home watching Hallmark channel. Feels more like Christmas than Halloween around here! Last week I whipped up a batch of these easy dark chocolate Halloween cupcakes. I think we all could use an easy recipe or two during this busy time of year! This Halloween cupcake recipe includes a doctored up dark chocolate cake mix and homemade white chocolate buttercream frosting. Lots of chocolate going on here, but isn’t that what Halloween is all about?!

How to Make These Easy Dark Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes
I always love adding ingredients to cake mixes to make them taste more homemade. Anyone who eats one of these easy cupcakes is always impressed, and the best part is that it takes minimal effort on my part! These would be simple to make on a weeknight and are easy enough if you’re looking for a fun treat to make with your kiddos!

There are some specific ingredients that I used that make these cupcakes a really special and spooky Halloween treat! I also have included a few tips below to ensure that these cupcakes come out of the oven tasting like a gourmet bakery made them . No one needs to know that the “gourmet bakery” is your kitchen!
- I found a delicious Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Cake Mix to use for these cupcakes. Making these cupcakes dark and chocolatey really sticks with the Halloween theme!
- Adding a pudding mix to the batter really helps to make these cupcakes extra moist and fluffy. You can use the Godiva Dark Chocolate pudding mix to stick with the dark chocolate theme, but any chocolate pudding mix will do!
- I topped these cupcakes with a white chocolate frosting to add a bit of light sweetness to compliment the dark chocolate cupcake. I used a Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar but again, you can use whatever is easy to find!
- You can add 1/2 cup of warm coffee to the batter to really enhance the dark chocolate flavor. If you don’t want to use coffee, you can simply use 1/2 cup of water instead!
- You will notice that I used mascarpone cheese in the frosting recipe which makes it so light and slightly more rich. Mascarpone is like a sweeter and creamier version of cream cheese and it is to die for! You won’t regret using it.

The batter for these cupcakes is super thick, which makes for dense, yummy, insanely chocolatey cupcakes! Topping these with white chocolate buttercream really adds a special touch that everyone will love. And no one needs to know that these are made with a cake mix – that can be our little secret. Have a Happy Halloween and enjoy stuffing yourself with chocolate this week!

Easy Dark Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
For the Dark Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes
- 1 12.75 oz dark chocolate cake mix (preferably Ghirardelli)
- 1 3.6 oz box of instant dark chocolate pudding mix (preferably Godiva)
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup warm coffee
For the White Chocolate Frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 4 oz white baking chocolate
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your muffin tins with paper liners (or spray with nonstick cooking spray). You will need about 16 liners
- In a bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and coffee. Mix until just combined, but do not over mix
- Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, pour batter into your muffin wells. Fill about 1/2 to 2/3 full
- Bake in preheated oven for 16 – 20 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes easily spring back when touched.
- Remove from oven and cool in muffin tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and allow the cupcakes to continue to cool .
For the White Chocolate Frosting
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the white baking chocolate until smooth. Do not overheat as this will cause the chocolate to burn. Once melted, allow to cool to room temperature.
- To a large bowl, add your mascarpone cheese, melted white chocolate, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, cream and salt. Mix together until combined and smooth. Feel free to add more cream or powdered sugar to get the consistency you like
- Frost cooled cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. You can either use a knife or a frosting bag to pipe on the frosting.
Notes
- You may substitute 1/2 cup of water in place of the 1/2 cup of coffee if you choose
- You may use any chocolate cake mix and pudding mix that you like. The dark chocolate Ghirardelli and Godiva mixes are super delicious and make these cupcakes extra dark and festive for Halloween!