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Five chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin buttercream on a table. One cupcake has a long and tall gold candle in the frosting that is lit. Glass bottles are blurred in the background.

Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes with Pumpkin Frosting

These festive Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream Frosting are so easy to make in one bowl and packed full of pumpkin spice! They are moist, rich, tender, and topped with the most unbelievable pumpkin frosting. Gluten free + vegan recipe!
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 23 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Baked Goods
Calories: 419
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cupcakes
  • 1 cup dairy free milk I recommend soy milk or almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar can swap for white vinegar or lemon juice
  • ⅔ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup oil neutral flavored
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons applesauce unsweetened
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
  • 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour can use gluten-free as needed
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Pinch cinnamon optional
Pumpkin Buttercream
  • ½ cup dairy free butter I recommend Earth Balance sticks
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dairy free milk optional as needed

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Mixing spoons
  • measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • hand mixer
  • Piping bags, optional
  • Muffin pan
  • Paper liners

Method
 

  1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and line a cupcake tray with paper liners. Set this aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar to make a vegan buttermilk. Set this aside.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients of flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using).
  3. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients of dairy free milk, sugar, vanilla, applesauce, oil, and flaxseeds.
  4. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently whisk them together until a batter forms. Transfer the batter to the cupcake liners, filling the liners about ⅔ to ¾ of the way full. You should get 12 cupcakes.
  5. Bake. Bake the cupcakes uncovered for 22-24 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake should come out clean or with a crumb or two on the toothpick.
  6. Cool. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the hot cupcake tray. After 10 minutes, transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack until they are fully cooled.
  7. Make the pumpkin buttercream frosting. Once the cupcakes are cooled, begin the frosting. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix the room temperature vegan butter until creamy. Add in the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Finally, add the powdered sugar. Continue to mix the frosting on medium to high speed, adding in 1-2 tablespoons of dairy free milk to help combine the sugar into the butter. The buttercream will be light and fluffy when finished.
  8. Frost and serve. Using a knife or a piping bag with a tip, cover the cupcakes in frosting. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

How to Store
Countertop: With a buttercream frosting, I don’t recommend that you keep these cupcakes on the countertop for more than 2 hours as the frosting can start to melt after that point.
Fridge: Since they have a buttercream frosting, I recommend that you store the cupcakes in a cupcake container or lightly cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let the cupcakes rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving so that the frosting is easier to eat. 
Freezer: Yes, you can store fully baked, cooled, and decorated cupcakes in the freezer. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Allow the cupcakes to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.