• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Alice In Eatland

Recipes . Eateries . Inspiration

  • Recipe Index
  • Eateries

Halloween

Mushroom Paprikash

October 31, 2023 by aliceineatland Leave a Comment

Mushroom Paprikash

Mushroom Paprikash Recipe

Mushroom Paprikash inspired by the novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoke.

The Inspiration Behind Mushroom Paprikash

“We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (Mem., get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called “paprika hendl,” and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians.”

Amongst the several food and drink references in Bram Stoker’s horror masterpiece, I have been particularly fascinated with the idea of Paprika Hendl ever since coming across it while reading “Dracula” over a decade or so ago.

Believed to be what is known as Chicken Paprikash in current times, the vegetarian take on this Hungarian classic, Mushroom Paprikash, has been one of the 768 or so recipes that I keep telling myself I need to try but never get around to making.

With the Lahori weather turning cool, gray and decidedly Transylvanian, and today being a special day for the massive horror fan that I am, it was finally time to make this comforting classic.

What Is Mushroom Paprikash And How Exactly Is It Made

Simple yet rich, this creamy stew gets its velvety texture from heavy cream (easy hack to make sour cream in the instructions/method: no premixing required!) and packs a punch with heady smoked paprika and hot red chilli powder.

This may not seem like a lot of crisp fried button mushrooms but they are sitting atop a bed of shredded & equally crisp fried chanterelles and oyster mushrooms, all of which together, are a textural and flavour umami bomb.

Please read the note at the end of the recipe for details on the fresh mushrooms I used in this recipe and what you can substitute them with.

Mushroom Paprikash Recipe

Traditionally eaten with homemade egg noodle dumplings (galuska/nokedli/spätzle), I enjoyed this with a side of gnocchi-shaped pasta and a simple side of steamed broccoli and fresh baby spinach spiked with a fresh red chilli to balance the richness of this hearty dish.

For a cult-classic horror novel, there are plenty of food and drink mentions (magmila, impletata and slivovitz to name a few); rather strangely chilling if you think about it, since a vampire’s sole diet consists purely of blood and nothing else.

Perhaps I will create my versions of all of the food in the book together one day, as a feast in the infamous Count’s honour 😈.

On that note, here’s wishing a Spooky Halloween 🎃 to fans of the celebration!

 

Mushroom Paprikash

 

Simple yet rich, this creamy Mushroom Paprikash packs a punch with heady smoked paprika and hot red chilli powder. Topped with a selection of umami-rich crisp fried mushrooms for a deeply satisfying flavour.

 

Recipe Type: Main

Author: Alice In Eatland

Cook Time: 15-20 Minutes

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 2

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cups mixed fresh mushrooms*
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (if available)
  • 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons cream/sour cream, to drizzle
  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • Boiled and buttered pasta, to serve
  • Steamed broccoli, to serve
  • Fresh baby spinach, to serve
  • Fresh red chilli, deseeded, to serve

 

METHOD

  1. Sauté whole or sliced mushrooms in a flat-based pan over high heat in batches, until crisp and browned. Cool completely in a metal sieve.
  2. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and sauté onions and garlic until soft and fragrant.
  3. Add the tomato paste and cook till it darkens slightly.
  4. Sprinkle flour and cook the mixture 2-4 minutes or until the flour no longer smells raw.
  5. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the vegetable stock till the mixture is lump-free.
  6. Place pan back on the heat, season with salt, red chilli powder or paprika, smoked paprika (if using), garlic powder, onion powder and bring to the boil, whisking constantly.
  7. Cook 5 minutes until bubbly, keep whisking frequently.
  8. Turn the heat off and quickly whisk in 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream and lemon juice.
  9. Check seasoning, add more salt or lemon juice if needed and grind in fresh black pepper.
  10. Pour into serving dish/bowl/plate.
  11. Drizzle with heavy cream or sour cream, if wished.
  12. Top with fried mushroom mix and sprinkle chopped fresh parsley.
  13. Serve with boiled and buttered pasta of your choice and a side of steamed broccoli, fresh baby spinach and deseeded red chilli.

 

NOTE:

*I used a combination of sliced button mushrooms and shredded chanterelles and oyster mushrooms in this recipe.
Though fresh mushrooms taste best in this particular dish, you can absolutely use canned mushrooms instead.

This recipe, like most of my other recipes, is more of a guide rather than a strict set of rules to be fanatically adhered to, so please feel free to make substitutions and alterations to suit your preferences and budget.

Filed Under: Mains, Recipes Tagged With: Autumn / Fall, Dinner, Freezer Friendly, Halloween, Lunch, Romantic, Vegetarian, Winter

Café Con Tres Leches Cake

October 31, 2021 by aliceineatland Leave a Comment

Café Con Tres Leches Cake

Café Con Tres Leches Cake
A hauntingly beautiful plant based Café Con Tres Leches Cake with fresh, tart berries and dark chocolate skulls is just the kind of dessert I need this Halloween. Or anytime of the year, really.

Making and assembling the cake is pretty straightforward, though you do need to plan slightly ahead due to the number to steps involved. A little time consuming maybe but not complicated at all.

Café Con Tres Leches Cake

Use your preferred combination of plant based milks, either store bought or homemade. The milks listed in the recipe are my personal preference and I have made both the almond and pistachio milks myself.

Some may feel that a chilled Café Con Tres Leches Cake is perhaps a little summery for autumn/fall since the season mostly calls for warming desserts and cosy sweets.

Café Con Tres Leches Cake

The cream white pumpkin & dried foliage autumn/fall centrepiece that I made for Halloween 2021

 

If you’re one of those folks, please be assured that this is pretty good enjoyed at room temperature too.

Tips For Making A Stunning Café Con Tres Leches Cake:

  • The cocoa can be omitted from the cake base for an uninterrupted coffee experience.
  • I added cocoa + coffee to the lovely Vegan Tres Leches Cake recipe by Cook’s Hideout for 2 reasons:

Café Con Tres Leches Cake

-For visual drama, since the topping, berries and skulls show up more vibrantly on a darker base

-The flavour combination, as coffee is one of my favourite pairings with chocolate based desserts.

The chocolate skulls are of course, in honour of Halloween though if you’re a true horror fan like me, you wouldn’t mind adding these to your celebratory desserts throughout the year.

On to the recipe for this easy and eerily elegant Café Con Tres Leches Cake.

Café Con Tres Leches Cake

 

CAFÉ CON TRES LECHES CAKE

 

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland
Serves: 6 – 8

 

Milky mocha sponge, creamy topping, tart berries & dark chocolate skulls make this elegant vegan Café Con Tres Leches Cake perfect for Halloween or for any time of the year.


CAKE

  • 1 cup plant based milk (oat, almond, coconut or any milk of your choice)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon boiling water, cooled completely
  • 3/4 caster sugar
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
  • 1 1/4 cups plain flour
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

3 MILK SOAK

  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee
  • 1/4 cup sweetened coconut condensed milk *(recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk **(for homemade option, please see the recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup pistachio milk **(for homemade option, please see the recipe below)

TOPPING

  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup coconut cream, well chilled
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
  • Raspberries, blueberries or any fruit of choice
  • Chocolate skulls*** (recipe below)

 

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
  2. Oil & flour an 8” square cake pan.
  3. Stir plant based milk & lemon juice or white vinegar to make buttermilk & set aside for 5 minutes.
  4. Whisk in the cooled coffee, sugar, oil & vanilla until combined.
  5. Sieve flour, cornflour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
  6. Stir dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture until just combined. Do not over mix.
  7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 – 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean.
  8. Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan 10 minutes.
  9. Poke the entire surface of the cake with either a fork, a skewer or a toothpick.
  10. For the 3 Milk Soak, stir the coffee, coconut condensed milk, almond milk, pistachio milk & vanilla together in a pan and bring to the boil.
  11. Lower the heat, let simmer 5 – 7 minutes & pour evenly over warm cake.
  12. Let the cake cool completely and then chill covered for at least 2-4 hours. Overnight is best.
  13. To make the topping, whip the cold coconut cream with icing sugar & vanilla until thick and fluffy.
  14. Spread or pipe topping all over the top of the chilled cake.
  15. Decorate with fresh fruit & chocolate skulls, if using. I also added some well-washed leaves of a rose plant from my garden.
  16.  Keep refrigerated.

 

*Sweetened Coconut Condensed Milk

Stir 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk & 4 tablespoons sugar in a pan over medium heat.

Bring to the boil, stirring constantly and then lower heat and cook stirring frequently, until milk thickens & reduces by half ( 20 minutes or so).

Cool completely & store airtight in the fridge.

 

**Nut Milk

Soak 1/4 cup raw unroasted almonds or pistachios in 1 cup water for 8 -12 hours.

Drain, rinse with clean water and add to blender jar with 1/2 – 3/4 cups drinking water.

Blend until smooth and then strain through a nut bag, cheesecloth or muslin, squeezing all the milk out.

Save the leftover nut solids airtight in the freezer and add to things like roti dough, pizza dough or cookie dough for a nutty flavour & texture.

Stir a drop or so of vanilla extract into the strained milk, if you wish.

Cover airtight & store in the fridge.

Stir before using and consume within 2-3 days.

 

***Chocolate Skulls

Break a bar of vegan friendly chocolate (I used a bar of Nestlé Bourneville Classic Dark Chocolate) into pieces.

Microwave on high in 20 second increments, stirring every time until the chocolate is completely melted, being careful not to burn it.

You can melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler instead of using the microwave.

Pour melted chocolate into silicone skull moulds (I purchased my skull mould from Darak.pk) and freeze for an hour.

Unmould and store chocolate skulls in a paper towel lined airtight container in the fridge.

 

The raspberries & blueberries adorning this Café Con Tres Leches Cake were purchased from Al Fatah Gold Crest Mall, Lahore.

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: Autumn / Fall, Baking, Chocolate, Dessert, Halloween, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

October 19, 2017 by aliceineatland Leave a Comment

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

Post Updated: 11.03.24

Gothic Chic Cupcakes have been my favourite Halloween dessert idea since 2017! Moist vanilla cupcake base topped with a very chocolatey black cocoa fudge frosting, these are perfect for any special occasion during the year and absolute showstoppers especially at Halloween.

The first cupcake recipe on my blog was for Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes for Halloween 2016. Check that one out too for a fun but sweetly spooky Halloween cupcake recipe.

The first Halloween cupcake recipe had a chocolate cupcake base topped with vanilla frosting. The Gothic Chic Cupcake recipe is the other way around – my favourite moist vanilla cupcake recipe with a very old fashioned and very delicious cocoa fudge frosting.

As mentioned in my previous Halloween post, I did not grow up celebrating Halloween except for one year in the ’90s. As an adult now, I have been getting more and more excited about Halloween each year.

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

Instagram and Pinterest with their fabulous Halloween related food, decor and craft posts are definitely to be credited for making Halloween popular in parts of the world where it isn’t really celebrated as such.

I had decided that along with food, I would do some sort of Halloween DIY craft or decor project as well this year.

I had a very clear idea of something very chic and very minimalistic Gothic in mind hence the black, gold and silver theme for my Halloween.

Not being very “crafty” as such, I wanted to do something simple but effective so I chose the very aptly titled Creepy Black Twig Wreath – thanks to Earnest Home Co. for the fabulous idea and the easy tutorial.

I collected the branches and twigs off a basil plant and a rose bush – both from my garden and both completely dried up. I then put the twig wreath together bit by bit according to the step by step tutorial.

My brother says the finished wreath looks like something out of the horror movie “The Ring” – target achieved!

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

Pumpkins were next and after trawling through various pumpkin ideas on Pinterest, I decided on simple painted pumpkins for Halloween 2017.

Pinterest has a photo of a large pumpkin painted matte black sitting on a chair and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have a black pumpkin this Halloween. I was finding gold and silver painted pumpkins on Pinterest quite appealing as well.

So my sister-in-law and I spray painted a few pumpkins black, gold and silver. I could not get hold of perfectly shaped pumpkins but after they were painted and were sitting in all their beautiful painted glory, I felt the irregular shapes, indents and imperfections here and there somehow added to the Gothic appeal that I was after.

And lastly, the Gothic Chic Cupcakes. I adore this moist vanilla cupcake recipe so much and for the life of me I can’t find the link to the original recipe because I wrote the recipe down the old fashioned way in my crumbling old recipe diary.

Like a fool, I completely forgot to write down the name of the blog where I took the recipe from. I am trying to search for that particular blog and hopefully if I find it I will update this blog post with proper credit to the original creator of this wonderful recipe.

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

The frosting recipe comes via My Gluten Free Kitchen with a deep cocoa flavour and dreamy pipeability. The idea was to dye the cocoa fudge  frosting a jet black with food colour.

As I was adding the black food colour to the frosting and mixing it in, I stopped when the icing reached a deep dark charcoal gray. It looked incredible and very broodingly sexy – so much cooler than the flat black I had intended to achieve.

I used gold and silver cupcake liners / paper bake cups for my Gothic Chic Cupcakes.

I wanted the vanilla part of the cupcake to show very clearly so instead of covering almost the entire top of the cupcakes with frosting, I opted to pipe rosettes that would leave room for the vanilla part to show.

I have been ‘piping partially’ this way lately and liking it. You can obviously cover the entire tops of your Gothic Chic Cupcakes in frosting like it is usually done.

Happy baking and frosting and a very happy Halloween to all!

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

Gothic Chic Cupcakes

 

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 30 Minutes    Cook Time: 20 Minutes    Total Time: 50 Minutes
Serves: 8 – 10
Keyword: Gothic Cupcakes Recipe, Goth Cupcakes Recipe, Halloween Cupcakes,

 

These moist & fluffy Gothic Chic Cupcakes are perfumed with vanilla & frosted with a dark & intensely chocolate cocoa fudge frosting – so tasty & so chic!

 

INGREDIENTS FOR MOIST VANILLA CUPCAKES

  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup cream
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/8 cup cornflour or cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup + 1 tablespoon caster sugar or superfine sugar
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract or essence (optional)

 

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a standard size muffin pan / cupcake pan with gold and silver paper baking cups / cupcake liners. Set aside.
  3. Stir the milk and vinegar together to make buttermilk.
  4. Add prepared buttermilk to the cream and stir together to make sour cream. Set aside.
  5. Combine the flour, cornflour or cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  6. Beat the oil and sugar together for 30 – 60 seconds.
  7. Add the egg and extracts and beat until combined.
  8. Beat in the combined dry ingredients until smooth.
  9. Lastly beat in prepared sour cream until just mixed.
  10. Pour batter into a glass measuring jug.
  11. Fill the paper baking cups in the muffin pan between 1/2 – 3/4 full.
  12. Bake 18 – 20 minutes or until the cupcakes turn slightly golden and a wooden pick inserted into the centre of cupcakes comes out nearly clean. Do not overbake.
  13. Remove baked cupcakes onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
  14. Store cool unfrosted cupcakes airtight until ready to frost.

 

INGREDIENTS FOR COCOA FUDGE FROSTING

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups + 1/3 cup icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
  • Black gel food colour (prefereably from Wilton or AmeriColor)

 

METHOD

  1. Put butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave uncovered on high 10 – 20 seconds or until almost melted.
  2. Remove bowl from microwave and stir until butter is completely melted.
  3. Whisk in the cocoa and then microwave uncovered again on high for 30 seconds.
  4. Remove from microwave and beat in icing sugar and milk alternately until creamy.
  5. Beat in vanilla.
  6. Lastly add the black food colour, a little at a time while beating until desired colour is achieved.
  7. Frosting dyed with black food colour deepens in hue as the frosting sits, so wait 10 or so minutes after adding food colour to see how much the colour of the frosting darkens before adding more.
  8. Make sure the frosting is completely cool before piping onto cupcakes.
  9. Use a Wilton 1M tip to pipe rosettes of cocoa fudge frosting onto the cupcakes.
  10. Store your Gothic Chic Cupcakes airtight. These can be refrigerated but make sure you bring the cupcakes completely down to room temperature before serving.

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: Autumn / Fall, Baking, Budget-Friendly, Cafe, Chocolate, Dessert, Halloween

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

October 24, 2016 by aliceineatland 2 Comments

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

Trick or treat! These chocolate cobweb cupcakes are absolutely delicious and a confirmed crowd pleaser. Make these for Halloween or for any day of the year really – they are as good to eat as they are to look at!

I adore this chocolate cupcake recipe because it is so easy and incredibly delicious plus it gives me the moistest chocolate cupcakes ever – dry cakes and dry cupcakes are one of my pet peeves!

The creamy vanilla frosting that these chocolate cobweb cupcakes are topped with is actually a crusting buttercream that tastes really lovely and is perfect for piping swirls, rosettes etc as it really holds its shape while remaining soft and creamy inside – this has to be my favourite recipe for pipeable frosting.

The fun cobweb toppers that the cupcakes are crowned with are made from melted chocolate and are a breeze to make!

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

Growing up, Halloween was something we’d just read about in books or comics or watch on tv or movies. Thanks in most part to Hollywood, many of us knew of Halloween as the spookiest time of the year when folks don scary costumes and kids dress up in adorably spooky costumes or as their favourite characters from books, cartoons or tv shows and movies and go trick-or-treating for candy.

I am a big fan of all things “horror” be it scary movies, creepy stories, haunted houses – you name it. So you can imagine how the spookiest time of the year makes me feel. The late October autumn/fall weather adds an additional something to the atmosphere; I love it! Even if Halloween isn’t celebrated in Pakistan as such, at least those of us who want to enjoy it can do so in ways that make us happy, be it pumpkin carving, making scary costumes or coming up with cutely creepy food!

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

The only time we actually kind of ‘celebrated’ Halloween was in the early ’90s in Daharki. A few Canadian engineers had been emlpoyed by Engro to help set up its new fertilizer plant that had been shipped from Canada. So they, along with their families, had relocated to the Engro Colony in Daharki from Canada until the new plant was up and running. It was Halloween, and the Canadians thought why not celebrate Halloween with the Pakistani residents of the colony and it was a great idea indeed.

Since there was obviously no “trick-or-treat” culture in the colony, the Canadian families arranged an evening Halloween party at the colony’s Club and everyone was invited. The Halloween celebration was more of a fancy dress party for us non-Canadians and it was a lot of fun.

There were some really nice things to eat at the party, made by the Club and I think some made by the Canadian ladies. As there are none of those huge gorgeous orange pumpkins growing in the middle of Sindh, the Canadians made do with what was available; they carved those classic scary Jack-o’-Lantern pumpkin faces on stocky little roundish green kaddus from the vegetable shop at the local Gulnar Market. Necessity truly is the mother of invention!

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

The party was arranged within a day or so of being decided which left almost no time for anyone to think of or make any elaborate costumes. All the kids were in costume and by costumes I mean all of us more or less improvised with whatever we had lying around at home or could borrow from friends.  I went to the party dressed as a fairy. That decision was based solely on a shimmery green (the hue of green that was known as “bottle green” back then; haven’t heard that color described as such in decades!) dress that I owned and I think we created a makeshift wand for me to hold from a small cane stick with one of those decorative stars that you get at party decoration stores stuck at the top. So I was a fairy and a wingless one into the bargain as there was absolutely no time to make any DIY fairy wings.

Fast forward to the present and with that one Halloween celebrated long ago, there was not much after that and frankly there are still no Halloween celebrations as such apart from a few parties here and there. But in the last few years, social media and Instagram and Pinterest in particular, have literally brought Halloween to the rest of the world with the celebration becoming something exciting to look forward to. There is an amazing array of wonderful Halloween ideas such as for food, decor and makeup shared by bloggers, makeup artists and other insanely creative folks that has made the countdown to Halloween one of the most exciting times of the year, for me at least.

This year, I have decided to do the creepy-cool half skull makeup look made popular by the uber talented makeup artist Chrisspy that she posted on her YouTube channel back in 2014. Though I obviously cannot come even remotely close to matching her finesse and experience as a makeup artist, I think I did a pretty okay job practicing getting the half skull look to look decent enough, haha!  Fingers crossed for the final look on the day! You can watch Chrisspy’s tutorial here as she uses her mastery over makeup to transform her look in minutes.

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

Just like Chrisspy, the sheer scale of talent and creativity of ideas, be it makeup, costume design, baking or anything really, on social platforms such as YouTube, Pinterest etc is nothing short of staggeringly impressive; so many great ideas and the fact that people share them in near microscopic detail to make it as easy as possible for anyone who might want to try them – how amazing is that! Thank you kind, helpful and crazily talented people for sharing your wonderful ideas and techniques so wholeheartedly!

I too wanted to do something in the spirit of Halloween (pun intended, hehe!). I had been wanting to put my go to chocolate cupcake recipe on the blog for a while so thought of making some Halloween-ish cupcakes to accommodate that idea. So I started browsing Pinterest for some spooky cupcake ideas and came across so many amazing Halloween cupcakes! It was hard to choose just one idea but these Pumpkin Chocolate Spiderweb Cupcakes by Bright-Eyed Baker frosted with orange colored frosting and topped with chocolate spiderweb toppers stood out as they were so arrestingly beautiful! So I decided that these would be my food inspiration for Halloween this year and that is how my chocolate cobweb cupcakes came to be.

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

The chocolate cupcake recipe I use most is a chocolate cake recipe that was shared by someone back in Daharki during the late ’90s – early 2000s and was titled “Deep Chocolate Cake.” It is such a flavourful and supermoist recipe that I instantly fell in love with it. Years later I discovered it is actually the recipe for Hershey’s Black Magic Cake. It is pretty much the same recipe that Ina Garten used to make “Beatty’s Chocolate Cake” on an episode of “The Barefoot Contessa” so, if the recipe has her approval, then you know it must be pretty good.

The vanilla frosting recipe is a very slight adaptation of the wonderful Crusting American Buttercream Icing by Peggy Does Cake. It is a very good recipe, not overly sweet or too intensely buttery and the original can be found here.

I used orange coloured frosting for my Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes plus the classic bewitching purple of Halloween, thanks to a post on Wilton’s Instagram earlier this month of chocolate cupcakes with purple frosting topped with mint green spiderwebs! Wilton has been posting some really fun Halloween ideas this month so you might want to check them out.

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

So before we go on to actually making and decorating the cupcakes let’s keep the following in mind:

  • The first time I made orange icing for these cupcakes by mixing red and yellow gel food colors (both by AmeriColor) I added the red a little too enthusiastically which meant that I had to use A LOT of yellow to bring it to any semblance of orange. I did end up with a very vibrant, heart-stopping orange but also ended up thinning my frosting a bit – yes, even gel food colors, when used in copious amounts, can affect the texture of your frosting so note to self: Practice restraint when using food colors! You can obviously use orange food color for the frosting. AmeriColor’s “Electric Orange” seems to be a popular choice for bright orange frosting.
  • The chocolate cupcake toppers are very delicate. If you live in a place with a warmer climate it would be best to freeze the toppers until ready to serve and add them to complete your chocolate cobweb cupcakes right before serving. They’ll soften to room temperature fairly quickly.  Literally seconds after being placed on the cupcakes, the toppers began bending at the base which is the point where they’d been pushed into the frosting and finally, gently toppled over. The toppled cobwebs then softened and meltingly drooped over the frosting which kind of gave them a fairly cool look in a creepy sort of way, which if less pretty, was actually far more realistic as you can see in the photo above.
  • I discovered, rather very late in the day (after 2 attempts at making the chocolate cobwebs and having them topple over the cupcakes both times) that it is best to use chocolate that contains no cocoa butter to make the toppers as that kind of chocolate sets up firm and is not prone to softening just seconds after being placed on buttercreamed cupcakes. I used Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips to make the cobwebs, which obviously contain cocoa butter, hence the super quick softening and yes I wish I had researched more before attempting to make the toppers. Candy coating or candy melts might work well too in creating firm toppers. I would still place the toppers atop the cupcakes just before serving to be on the safe side.
  • Serve the frosted chocolate cobweb cupcakes at room temperature. Store them airtight and if they’ve been in the fridge, allow them to come to room temperature before serving. Cold cupcake and cold frosting are not very nice, unless it’s a whipped cream frosted cupcake.

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

 

 

Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes

Recipe Type: Desserts    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 30 Minutes    Cook Time: 20 Minutes    Total Time: 50 Minutes    Serves: 10 – 12

 

Moist chocolate cobweb cupcakes with swirls of creamy vanilla frosting – perfect for the spookiest time of the year or for any time of the year!

 

CUPCAKES:

INGREDIENTS

  • Around 12 – 14 (1.5″ base) cupcake liners/paper bake cups
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 cup caster sugar or superfine sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup plain flour
  • 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or essence
  • 1 tsp instant coffee
  • 1/2 cup boiling water

 

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
  2. Line cupcake/muffin pans with the cupcake liners/paper bake cups and set aside.
  3. Stir the milk and vinegar together in a small cup or bowl to make buttermilk. Set aside.
  4. Combine all the dry ingredients, except coffee, in a bowl.
  5. Whisk the egg. Stir the buttermilk and add to the egg along with the oil and vanilla.
  6. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and beat until well mixed.
  7. Stir the instant coffee into the boiling water and carefully stir into the cocoa mixture. Batter will be quite thin.
  8. Pour batter into a measuring jug.
  9. Fill cupcake liners/paper bake cups with batter almost 3/4 full. I fill them nearly to the top with less than an 1/8 of an inch to spare at the top as I like my cupcakes to have nice high domed tops but if you’re making these for the first time, fill them 1/2 or 3/4ths full to see how they bake in your oven as every oven is different and you don’t want your cupcake batter spilling out and over while baking.
  10. Bake 18 – 20 minutes or until cupcakes are risen and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. Its okay if a few crumbs are sticking to the wooden pick. Try not to overbake.
  11. Remove baked cupcakes to a wire rack.
  12. Cool completely before frosting.

 

CREAMY VANILLA FROSTING:

INGREDIENTS

  • 200 grams salted butter (I use Lurpak’s Slightly Salted Butter), soft but cool
  • 1 tbsp water, at room temperature
  • 1 lb (around 450 grams) icing sugar, sifted/sieved
  • 1 tbsp cream
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract or essence
  • Orange food colour (I used “Super Red” and “Electric Yellow” both by AmeriColor to make orange)
  • Purple food colour (I used “Violet” by Wilton)

METHOD

  1. Cream butter until creamy, fluffy and pale in colour.
  2. Add the water and beat until combined.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the food colours, and beat until smooth, thick and creamy.
  4. Divide the frosting equally into two and colour each half with the food colours.
  5. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and store airtight.
  6. If storing in the fridge, allow your frosted chocolate cobweb cupcakes to come down to room temperature for 10 or so minutes before serving.

 

CHOCOLATE COBWEBS:

  1. Print out cobweb templates (I used the one available here by Candiquik – there are some cute bat and cat templates as well and these too would make pretty awesome chocolate toppers).
  2. Tape the cobweb printout on a flat cookie sheet or the backside of a flat tray.
  3. Lay a sheet of greaseproof or wax paper on top of the printout and tape it flat on top of it. You will be able to see the template design below.
  4. Fit a piping bag or a Ziploc bag snipped at one corner with a small plain writing nozzle/icing tip (I used tip number 4 by Ateco).
  5. Put 1 cup of dark or semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (whichever chocolate you use, make sure it has NO cocoa butter in it) in a bowl and microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir and microwave again in 10 second increments, stirring every time until the chips are melted and smooth.
  6. Cool the melted chocolate a few minutes and put into the prepared piping bag.
  7. Carefully pipe out the chocolate over the wax paper covered templates, tracing out the pattern beneath. Don’t worry if you’re not super neat, as long as all the lines of each cobweb are connected by the chocolate.
  8. Once all the cobwebs have been piped, put the tray or cookie sheet in the fridge to set for at least half an hour.
  9. To remove cobwebs, carefully slide a thin spatula or thin flat butter knife under the cobwebs to dislodge them and carefully and quickly place them on top of the frosted cupcakes just before serving.

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: Autumn / Fall, Baking, Chocolate, Daharki, Dessert, Halloween

Primary Sidebar

ABOUT ALICE

Favorite recipes, fun eating out experiences and some wonderful food memories from Lahore, Pakistan.

ALICE’S TOP PICKS

Rose Crème Brûlée

Rose Crème Brûlée

Three Cheese Roasted Chilli Bread Pudding

Patisserie at Mocca Coffee Gulberg

Mocca Coffee Gulberg

The Paloma

The Paloma

Tags

Autumn / Fall Baking Budget-Friendly Cafe Chocolate Christmas Daharki Desi Dessert Dinner Easter Eatery Freezer Friendly Halloween Lunch Pakistani Restaurant Romantic Soup Spring Starter Summer Valentine's Day Vegan Vegetarian Winter

Tags

Autumn / Fall Baking Budget-Friendly Cafe Chocolate Christmas Daharki Desi Dessert Dinner Easter Eatery Freezer Friendly Halloween Lunch Pakistani Restaurant Romantic Soup Spring Starter Summer Valentine's Day Vegan Vegetarian Winter

Categories

  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Budget Friendly
  • Condiment
  • Desserts
  • Drinks
  • Eateries
  • Homemade Cheese
  • Homemade Cheese
  • Mains
  • Recipes
  • Snack & Starter
  • Uncategorized

ABOUT

Hello! If like me, you too love to cook, bake and eat then you're in the right place. From heartwarming, soul-satisfying comfort food to light, fresh and deliciously healthy meals, everything here is made with the utmost TLC :)

Tags

Autumn / Fall Baking Budget-Friendly Cafe Chocolate Christmas Daharki Desi Dessert Dinner Easter Eatery Freezer Friendly Halloween Lunch Pakistani Restaurant Romantic Soup Spring Starter Summer Valentine's Day Vegan Vegetarian Winter

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress