These fun and festive Halloween Unicorn Cupcakes are perfect for the unicorn lovers who want a special treat during the fall Halloween activities. They're made with a box of cake mix, a delicious homemade buttercream and cream cheese frosting, plus festive sprinkles and decorations. Make for Halloween parties, classroom parties and as a treat to fuel your trick-or-treating!
Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the box of cupcake mix (usually 350° Fahrenheit). Line the muffin tin with the liners. Make the cupcake batter as indicated on the package and fill each liner ½ full. Bake for the time indicated on the box. Remove cupcakes from the oven when done and place on your decorating workspace. Let the cupcakes cool in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before frosting.
I recommend doing this step the night before (or in advance the day of) because it will take time. Each unicorn horn takes about 5 minutes to harden, so if you're making 18 horns using 1 mold that is about 90 minutes or more of time needed.Melt the chocolate melting wafers about 2-3 wafers at a time, according to the instructions on the package. Fill the horn mold with the melted chocolate and chill in the fridge for 5 minutes, then carefully remove from the mold. Continue until you have as many as you need. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Make the frosting by combining the softened butter, softened cream cheese and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Using the electric hand mixer, beat on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar 2 cups at a time and continue to beat on low speed until smooth.
Choose your piping tip and secure it to the piping bag. Fill the piping bag halfway with frosting. Twist the top where the frosting ends and secure with a rubber band. Squeeze the frosting onto each cupcake in the pattern you'd like. *You may need to frost the cupcakes in batches depending on the size of the piping bag.
Take one chocolate unicorn horn and push it into the center of the frosted cupcake. Once the horns are in place, sprinkle as much of the Halloween sprinkles around the cupcake as you'd like. Use the icing flowers to create ears or a unicorn mane.
Transfer the decorated cupcakes to the fridge to chill and set the frosting. Serve within a few hours or within 2 days for the best results.
Notes
Tip 1: Make the chocolate unicorn horns the day before to save time. The cupcakes can also be made the night before.Tip 2: Chill cupcakes for 10-15 minutes before frosting. Frosting the cupcakes while they are cool will help set the icing.
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