Boozy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Meringue Ghosts

Ghostly pumpkin cupcakes with a boozy rum cream filling inside are perfect for your adult Halloween party!MORE+LESS-

For The Cupcakes

1

box (15.25 oz) Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Cake Mix Yellow

1 1/2

teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For The Rum Buttercram

1

stick unsalted butter, room temperature

For The Merringue Ghosts

4

egg whites, room temperature

1/2

teaspoon cream of tartar

1

cup superfine sugar (or granulated sugar processed in a food processor for 30 seconds)

1/2

teaspoon vanilla (or rum extract)

48

mini chocolate chips (for eyes)

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• 1

  Heat oven to 350°F (325°F if using a dark or nonstick pan). Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper baking cups.

• 2

  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cake mix, canned pumpkin, water, oil, pumpkin pie spice and eggs 30 seconds on low speed. Increase to medium and beat batter 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

• 3

  Divide batter evenly among paper baking cups (about 2/3 full). Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

• 4

  Cool cupcakes 10 minutes in pans, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

• 5

  Meanwhile, make the rum buttercream: In a large bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until smooth, creamy and fluffy. Beat in heavy cream, rum and vanilla.

• 6

  When cupcakes are cool, cut out the centers using a cupcake corer or knife, then spoon a rounded tablespoonful of the rum buttercream into the center of each cupcake.

• 7

  Make the meringue ghosts: Heat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• 8

  In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low-medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on low-medium speed until soft peaks form.

• 9

  Slowly add sugar and beat on low-medium speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

• 10

  Using a 1/2-inch round tip on a piping bag, pipe 24 meringue ghosts onto prepared baking sheet, each about 2 inches wide and 2 inches tall. Place two mini chocolate chips on each meringue for the eyes.

• 11

  Bake on center rack of oven 1 hour to 1 1/2 hous until set and dry on the outside. Turn off oven; open door slightly. Leave meringues on baking sheet in oven for a couple hours to overnight until meringues are fully cooled and set.

• 12

  Place meringue ghosts on top of cupcakes.

Expert Tips

• Eliminate the rum in Step 5. Add cream 1 teaspoon at a time if additional liquid is needed (max 2 additional teaspoons).

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

• These pumpkin cupcakes have a luscious rum buttercream center and meringue ghost topper – perfect for your adult Halloween party!OK for real you guys, I wasn’t going to have a Halloween party this year (heck, I wasn’t even going to dress up…unless my pajamas count), but I just made these Boozy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Meringue Ghosts – and methinks I need to have a monster mash just so I can share these.Because I MEAN…look at these guys. I can’t very well keep them all to myself (well, I could, but I’m already on a sugar high from all the pre-Halloween candy I ate).Anywho, I hope you’re having a party or, at the very least, you have a large gaggle of peeps in your life you can share these with – because once you see how easy they are to make and how delicious they sound, you’re going to want to make them.They’re a little bit spooky and a lot sweet and OMGEEE! Place a meringue ghost on the top of each cupcake, and abracadabra -- you’ve got a boo-zy pumpkin ghost cupcake!Kid-Friendly VersionMake these cuties kid-friendly for the kiddos by eliminating the rum in the filling. If additional liquid is needed, add cream one teaspoon at a time (no more than two teaspoons).