Halloween baking is always more fun when there’s a little surprise involved, and these Black Velvet Piñata Cupcakes definitely deliver.

At first glance, they’re a colorful crew of silly little monsters, complete with bright buttercream, candy eyeballs, and plenty of Halloween sprinkles. But take a bite and there’s one more treat hiding inside: a sprinkle-filled piñata center!

The cupcakes start with a rich black velvet cake made with both black cocoa and Dutch-process cocoa. Black cocoa creates that naturally deep, dramatic color that’s perfect for Halloween, while Dutch cocoa helps bring in that classic chocolate flavor. The result is a cupcake that looks almost pitch black without needing to add black food coloring to the batter.

On top, Swiss meringue buttercream gets a Halloween makeover with bright green, purple, and orange Chefmaster colors. Add candy eyeballs, sprinkles, and your own monster personality, and no two cupcakes have to look exactly alike.

Ready to make your own monster mash?

What You’ll Need

Yield: About 24 standard cupcakes
Bake Time: 17–20 minutes

Black Velvet Cupcakes

• 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 45 g (1/2 cup) black cocoa powder
• 22 g (1/4 cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 350 g (1 3/4 cups) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 57 g (1/4 cup) neutral oil
• 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) warm coffee

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 150 g room-temperature egg whites, about 5 egg whites
• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
• 454 g (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

The Piñata Surprise & Decorating

• 1 cup Halloween sprinkle mix, plus extra for decorating
• Candy eyeballs
• 3–4 cups Swiss meringue buttercream
• Chefmaster Yellow
• Chefmaster Green
• Chefmaster Violet
• Chefmaster Orange

Sprinkle Tip: Choose a mix with jimmies, confetti sprinkles, and small candy shapes for the hidden centers. Avoid very large or hard candies, which can make the cupcakes harder to eat.

Tools

• 2 standard cupcake pans
• 24 cupcake liners
• Digital kitchen scale
• Mixing bowls
• Fine-mesh sieve
• Whisk
• Hand or stand mixer
• Silicone spatula
• Cupcake scoop
• Cooling racks
• Cupcake corer or small paring knife
• Piping bags
• Large round or open piping tip
• Large open-star piping tip
• Small bowls for coloring buttercream

Let’s Make Some Monsters!

1. Prepare

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two standard cupcake pans with 24 liners.

Before getting started, bring the eggs, butter, and buttermilk to room temperature.

2. Mix the Ingredients

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, black cocoa, Dutch-process cocoa, and warm coffee until smooth.

3. Make the Batter

Using a hand or stand mixer, or mixing by hand with a spatula, mix the room-temperature butter with the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Add the wet ingredients and mix gently until everything comes together.

The batter will be loose and may still have a few small lumps. That’s okay! Be careful not to overmix.

4. Portion & Bake

Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full.

Bake for 17–20 minutes, beginning to check the cupcakes around the 17-minute mark. The tops should spring back lightly when touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.

5. Cool Completely

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.

Let them cool completely before creating the piñata centers or adding buttercream.

Make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Place the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heat-safe mixing bowl over a double boiler, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

Whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until soft peaks form, then add the vanilla.

Continue whipping for about 10 minutes, or until the meringue has cooled.

Add the softened butter and whip on low speed until the butter is fully incorporated and the buttercream is smooth. Set aside while you prepare the cupcakes.

Create the Piñata Surprise

Now for the trick hiding inside the treat!

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a cupcake corer or small paring knife to remove a circle about 3/4 to 1 inch wide from the center of each cupcake.

Be careful not to cut all the way through. Leave about 1/2 inch of cake at the bottom so your sprinkle surprise stays tucked inside.

Fill each cavity generously with your Halloween sprinkle mix, but don’t pack the sprinkles too tightly. Once the buttercream goes on top, no one will know what’s hiding inside until the first bite!

Make Your Monster Buttercream

Divide your buttercream into three bowls and get ready to bring the monsters to life.

For the bright green buttercream, combine Chefmaster Yellow and Chefmaster Green until you reach a fun, vibrant monster green.

Color the remaining buttercream with Chefmaster Violet and Chefmaster Orange.

Pipe a generous swirl onto each cupcake. A large round or open tip works beautifully for smooth monster tops, while an open-star tip creates a fun, textured swirl.

Immediately decorate with Halloween sprinkles and candy eyeballs while the buttercream is still soft.

And don’t worry about making them match. Vary the number, size, and angle of the eyes to give each monster its own personality. The sillier, the better!

A Few Tips Before You Bake

• Let black cocoa do the coloring. Black cocoa creates the naturally dark cake, so there’s no need to add black food coloring to the cupcake batter.
• Don’t skip the Dutch cocoa. Black cocoa gives these cupcakes their dramatic Halloween appearance, while Dutch-process cocoa helps deliver the chocolate flavor.
• Watch your bake time. You can’t rely on visible browning to tell when a black cupcake is finished. Start checking around 17 minutes and look for a lightly springy top and a toothpick with a few moist crumbs.
• Fill them closer to serving when possible. Sprinkles can absorb moisture and soften when left inside the cupcakes for an extended period.
• Keep the surprise center on the smaller side. A narrow cavity helps preserve the structure of the cupcake while still leaving plenty of room for that sprinkle-filled surprise.

Time to Monster Mash!

Part spooky, part silly, and hiding a sweet surprise inside, these Black Velvet Piñata Cupcakes are made for Halloween fun.

Make each monster completely different, play around with your favorite sprinkle mixes, or create your own Halloween color combinations. Whether they’re headed to a Halloween party, a spooky movie night, or simply your kitchen counter, the best part is watching someone discover what’s hiding inside.

Happy Halloween and happy baking!