Black velvet Halloween cupcakes

The more playful the decorations, the better, says Helen Goh.William MeppemHalloween has always felt like a borrowed tradition in Australia. While much of the world imagines crackling fires, bare trees and piles of brittle leaves, we’re watching the garden burst into life. Rather than fight the season with pumpkins and pecans, I’ve baked dark-chocolate cupcakes and topped them with a deliciously tangy, cream-cheese icing. The Halloween spirit comes from the finishing touches that transform them into delightfully spooky treats. They’re simple to decorate, great fun to make and guaranteed to disappear quickly.IngredientsFor the cakes35g Dutch-processed cocoa powder10g black cocoa*½ tsp instant coffee60ml hot water170g plain flour1 tsp baking powder½ tsp bicarbonate of soda½ tsp fine sea salt2 large eggs, at room temperature150g caster sugar60g light brown sugar120ml sunflower or other neutral oil120ml plain drinking kefir1 tsp vanilla extractFor the cream cheese icing150g full-fat cream cheese70g unsalted butter, at room temperature150g icing sugar, sifted1 tsp vanilla bean pastepinch of fine sea saltTo decoratechocolate Flakegummy wormschocolate spiderscandy eyeballschocolate tombstonesMethodStep 1Combine cocoa powders, the coffee and hot water in a small bowl and stir until a thick, smooth paste forms. Set aside to “bloom”.Step 2Line a 12-hole regular muffin tin with paper cases and heat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional).Step 3Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl.Step 4In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars until smooth. Add the oil, kefir and vanilla and whisk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the sifted, dry ingredients, add the cocoa paste and whisk until the batter is smooth and fully incorporated. It will be a fairly runny batter.Step 5Divide the batter evenly between the paper cases (50-60g each; I like to use a large, latch-release ice-cream scoop for this), then bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely before icing.Step 6For the icing, place the cream cheese, butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed for a minute or two, then increase to medium-high speed and continue to beat until pale and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the vanilla and salt and beat just until combined. If the mixture is runny, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm up before using.Step 7Peel the paper liners from the cooled cupcakes, then pipe or spoon a generous mound of cream-cheese icing onto each one (about 30g), leaving a narrow border of the black cake visible around the edge.Step 8Decorate with a selection of Halloween sweets. I like to scatter over a little “chocolate soil” made from a crushed Flake, then finish with a tangle of gummy worms, a cluster of candy eyeballs, chocolate tombstones or candy corn. There are no rules here: the more playful, the better!*Tip: Black cocoa is a heavily alkalised cocoa powder that gives these cupcakes their deep-black colour. If you can’t find it, simply add the same quantity of Dutch-processed cocoa instead. The cakes won’t be quite as dramatically dark, but will be just as delicious.The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.Sign up