These Candy Corn Cupcakes are decorated to look just like the iconic (and divisive) Halloween candy. But they don’t actually taste like candy corn! Instead, the two-toned vanilla cupcakes are filled with marshmallow cream and topped with a swirled orange, yellow, and white vanilla buttercream frosting.
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Attention Halloween lovers who don't like candy corn. These cupcakes are for you. I promise.
Yes, they are candy corn cupcakes. But the thing is, they only look like candy corn. They don't taste like it!
The vanilla cake is yellow and orange layered and the vanilla buttercream frosting is swirled with orange, yellow, and white. Sure, I added a little candy corn garnish on top, but you don't have to do that or you can just pick it off before eating.
I almost filled the cupcakes with a candy corn cream filling, but I really wanted to make this Halloween dessert appeal to everyone. And I think everyone can admit that the notorious candy is fun and festive looking. Even if they don't like the taste of it.
So, I used a marshmallow cream filling instead. The result is a super moist and fluffy vanilla cupcake filled with marshmallow cream and topped with sweet buttercream frosting.
🗒 Ingredients
The cupcake ingredients are pretty standard, but I like to use buttermilk to a more tender and flavorful cupcake.
Here's everything you need for the cupcakes (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk: If you don't have this, see recommendation for making your own below
- Orange & yellow food coloring
- Marshmallow Cream Filling: ingredients and recipe included below
- Buttercream Frosting: ingredients and recipe included below
- Candy corn for garnish: optional, of course!
No buttermilk? No problem!
If you don't have buttermilk, you can easily make your own at home. All you need to do is mix either lemon juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar into your regular milk (whole milk is best).
Since this recipe calls for ½ cup of buttermilk, you can add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill it the rest of the way with milk. Stir and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.
If you're using cream of tartar, simply whisk 1 teaspoon into ½ cup of milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
Here's what you need for the marshmallow filling:
- Marshmallow fluff
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
And here's what you need for the buttercream frosting:
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners' sugar
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Orange & yellow food coloring
🧁 How to make candy corn cupcakes
Though these cupcakes are simple to make, there are a couple tricks that make them unique. The first is that you'll want to make two colors of the cupcake batter so you can layer them.
To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put cupcake papers into a 12-cavity cupcake tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
And with the mixer on low speed, beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk. Mix in each addition until just incorporated, taking care not to over-mix.
Divide the batter into two equal portions and place in two separate bowls.
Gently mix orange food coloring into the batter in one of the bowls and yellow food coloring into the other.
Again, take care not to mix the batter too much as over-mixing can result in tough, dry cupcakes.
Now, divide yellow batter equally amongst cupcakes liners. Gently spoon orange batter on top, filling papers about ¾ of the way full.
And bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are golden and a tester comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
While cupcakes are cooling, you can make the marshmallow filling.
☁️ How to make marshmallow filling
All you have to do is put marshmallow fluff, butter, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and beat until well combined.
Mixing the butter into the fluff will help stabilize the marshmallow a bit. I also love more vanilla flavor, but if you want to skip this step completely, you can simply fill the cupcakes with marshmallow fluff.
First make sure you core your cooled cupcakes by taking out a small section from the middle. You can do this with a knife, but I love my little cupcake corer tool!
And fill the cupcakes with the marshmallow filling.
It's OK if you get a little bit messy with the marshmallow cream because you're going to be topping the cupcakes with a beautiful buttercream frosting.
👩🍳 How to make swirled buttercream frosting
For the frosting, you'll make a standard buttercream by beating the butter until it's creamy and then slowly blending in the confectioner’s sugar, cup by cup until well-combined.
Mix in cream, vanilla, and salt.
Now, pplit the frosting into three equal portions and place in three separate bowls.
Add orange food coloring to one portion and yellow to another. Leave the third portion white.
Place a large piping bag fitted with a large open star piping tip (I use a Wilton 1M), in a tall drinking glass (this will make it easier to fill).
Add orange frosting along one side of the bag, yellow to another, and white to another.
And frost the cupcakes using a swirl design... Or whatever design you want.
Garnish with candy corn, if desired. Even if you strongly dislike candy corn. It makes these more Halloween festive! And you can always remove it before eating.
I love that these candy corn cupcakes look just like the Halloween candy, but they don't taste like it at all! They're simply moist vanilla cupcakes filled with a gooey marshmallow filling and topped with a sweet heavenly vanilla buttercream.
⏲️ How to store
I recommend storing these cupcakes in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days as long as they're stored properly.
If you want to keep them for longer, I recommend storing them in the fridge. They should be good for about a week, but may dry out a bit in the fridge.
🎉 Variations on recipe
I like the simplicity of these cupcakes, but there's a lot you can do to suit them more to your tastes or make them easier.
Here are some ideas:
- Feel free to just use orange or yellow batter instead of making the cupcakes two-toned. Or swirl the batters together for a marbled look.
- Instead of swirling the buttercream, you can frost the cupcakes in stripes of color.
- Use a simple white buttercream and top the cupcakes with candy corn colored sprinkles or chopped up candies.
- Instead of a marshmallow filling, filling the cupcakes with Halloween sprinkles or even with candy corn candies!
- Use candy corn syrup to infuse the cupcakes with flavor.
- Drizzle candy corn syrup over the cupcakes.
🍬 More candy corn recipes
And if you're someone who actually likes the taste of candy corn, you'll want to check out my collection of candy corn recipes!
Here are some of my favorites:
These are all great for bringing to Halloween parties where you know there will be candy corn fans! I also love this amazing candy corn cake.
If you bring these candy corn cupcakes to a party, be sure to let everyone know that they don't taste like the Halloween treat at all!
But they're still absolutely sweet and totally delicious.
Where do you stand on the notorious candy?
📖 Recipe
Candy Corn Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Orange and yellow food coloring
- 1 batch Marshmallow Cream Filling (recipe below)
- 1 batch Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
- Candy corn for garnish
Marshmallow Cream Filling
- ⅓ cup marshmallow fluff
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Orange and yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put cupcake papers into a 12-cavity cupcake tin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
- With mixer on low speed, beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk. Mix in each addition until just incorporated, taking care not to over-mix.
- Divide the batter into two equal portions and place in two separate bowls.
- Mix orange food coloring into the batter in one of the bowls and yellow food coloring into the other.
- Add a spoonful of yellow batter into each cupcake liner. Gently spoon orange batter on top, filling papers about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges are golden and tester comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Once cupcakes are completely cooled, core out a small section from the middle (either using a cupcake corer or with a knife). Fill center of cupcake with marshmallow cream filling.
- Place a large piping bag fitted with a large open star piping tip (I use a Wilton 1M), in a tall drinking glass (this will make it easier to fill). Add orange frosting along one side of the bag, yellow to another, and white to another.
- Frost cupcakes using a swirl design. Garnish with candy corn, if desired.
Marshmallow Cream Filling
- Place marshmallow fluff, butter, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and beat until well combined.
Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
- With mixer on low, slowly blend in the confectioner’s sugar, cup by cup until well-combined. Mix in cream, vanilla, and salt and blend until combined.
- Split the frosting into three equal portions and place in three bowls. Add orange food coloring to one portion and yellow to another. Leave the third portion white.
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