Description

Blood Drip Cupcakes are decadent chocolate malt cupcakes topped with smooth buttercream frosting and finished with striking red candy shards and blood-like drips of red gel. Perfect for Halloween or any dramatic dessert occasion, these cupcakes blend rich cocoa, malt, and coffee flavors with a visually spooky and delicious presentation.

Ingredients

Scale

Cupcake Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup malt powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water

Buttercream Frosting

2 cups buttercream frosting (prepared or homemade)

Glass Candy Ingredients

1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups water

Garnish

Red food coloring gel, for blood drip garnish

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Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, malt powder, sugar, instant coffee, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix well to distribute all ingredients evenly.
Add Wet Ingredients and Combine: Add the eggs, buttermilk, melted unsalted butter, and pure vanilla extract into the dry mix. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the batter is well combined and smooth.
Incorporate Boiling Water: Pour in 3/4 cup of boiling water and continue beating the batter until fully integrated, creating a thin, smooth batter.
Fill Cupcake Liners and Bake: Pour the batter into each cupcake liner, filling about two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Cool Cupcakes: Remove cupcakes from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare Glass Candy: Line a baking sheet with foil. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine light corn syrup, sugar, cream of tartar, and water. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling, clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and wash down any sugar crystals on the pan sides with a wet brush. Continue boiling until the mixture reaches 300°F (hard crack stage).
Pour and Set Candy: Pour the hot candy mixture onto the prepared foil-lined baking sheet. Let it cool and harden for at least 1 hour until solid. Break the hardened sugar into shards to resemble glass.
Assemble Cupcakes: Pipe buttercream frosting onto the cooled cupcakes generously. Insert shards of the glass candy into the center of each frosted cupcake for a dramatic effect.
Create Blood Drip Finish: Using red food coloring gel, pipe blood-like drips onto the frosting to complete the spooky aesthetic of the Blood Drip Cupcakes.

Notes

Ensure cupcakes have cooled completely before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
Be cautious when working with hot sugar syrup; it can cause severe burns.
If you don’t have malt powder, you can substitute with an equal amount of additional cocoa powder or instant coffee, but it will alter the flavor slightly.
Use gel food coloring for a vibrant red ‘blood’ that won’t run.
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; keep candy shards separate to maintain crispness.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Calories: 420 kcal
Sugar: 45 g
Sodium: 230 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 63 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 45 mg