Fun Halloween Cat Cupcakes for Kids
These adorable black cat cupcakes are made with rich chocolate cupcakes, silky chocolate buttercream, and Oreo cookies transformed into little cat faces. Add candy eyes, licorice ears, and piped whiskers, and you have a batch of Halloween treats that look almost too cute to eat!
Halloween is a big deal in our family, and I love making fun treats with our little girls. When we made these cupcakes, the girls helped decorate the cats, gluing on their noses and eyes and proudly presenting their creations to the rest of the family. Each cat ended up with its own personality, which made the whole thing even more fun.
If you’re planning a Halloween baking session, you might also like my Halloween Spider Cupcakes with Candy Legs or these Easy Halloween Oreo Bat Cupcakes. Both are fun, spooky treats to make for a Halloween party.
Ingredients for Black Cat Cupcakes
These cupcakes start with a moist chocolate cake and fluffy chocolate buttercream, which is tinted black with gel food coloring. The decorations are simple, but together they turn an ordinary cupcake into a little black cat.
Here’s what you’ll need for the cat faces:
- Oreos: These make the cat faces. Their dark color also fits the Halloween theme perfectly.
- Licorice candies: Use flat licorice to cut out triangular ears and small noses.
- Candy eyes: These give each cat its expression. You can position them close together or farther apart to create different looks.
- Royal icing: Use this to attach the eyes and noses and pipe the whiskers.
- Black chocolate buttercream: This covers the cupcakes and helps hold the Oreo cat faces and ears in place.
A tip for black buttercream: Start with chocolate buttercream made with dark cocoa powder, then add black gel food coloring a little at a time. The cocoa gives you a darker base, so you won’t need as much food coloring. The color can also deepen as the buttercream rests.
How to Decorate Oreo Black Cats
The decorations are easier to assemble if you prepare the cat faces before frosting the cupcakes. That way, you can focus on piping the buttercream and putting everything together without rushing. Here’s how to do it:
1. Cut the flat licorice into triangles for the ears. Make smaller triangles for the noses. You’ll need two ears and one nose for each cat.
2. Pipe thin whiskers onto each Oreo with the royal icing. Add a small dab of icing where the whiskers meet and attach a licorice nose. Use another small dab of icing to attach two candy eyes. Let the icing set briefly so the decorations stay in place when you move the cookies.
3. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the black chocolate buttercream. Pipe a generous swirl onto each completely cooled cupcake.
4. Assemble the cats by pressing an Oreo cat face into the buttercream on each cupcake. Add the licorice ears, pushing them gently into the frosting so they stay upright.
That’s it! You can make all the cats look alike or have fun giving each one a slightly different expression.
Make-Ahead Cat Halloween Cupcakes
These cat cupcakes are easy to prepare in stages, which is especially helpful when you’re getting ready for a Halloween party.
You can bake the chocolate cupcakes a day ahead and store them in an airtight container. You can also prepare the Oreo cat faces in advance. For the best results, wait to assemble the decorated cupcakes until the day you plan to serve them.
The Oreo cookies can soften when they sit against the buttercream, so decorating the cupcakes shortly before serving helps keep the cookies crisp and the cat faces looking their best.
If you need to prepare the cupcakes the day before, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and take them out about an hour before serving, following the recipe card’s storage instructions.
If you’re putting together a Halloween dessert table, my Spiderweb Brownies for Halloween are another great option. The chocolate spiderweb makes them a fun match for these black cat cupcakes, and together they make a festive spread of homemade Halloween treats.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make black buttercream without using too much food coloring?
Start with chocolate buttercream made with dark cocoa powder, then add black gel food coloring a little at a time until you reach the shade you want. Let the buttercream rest for about an hour if you have time, as the color can deepen. Gel coloring is preferable to liquid coloring because it adds less moisture to the frosting.Can I use cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream?
Yes, but cream cheese frosting contains more moisture, so the Oreo cookies may soften more quickly. If you use it, assemble the cat faces shortly before serving. Buttercream is the better choice if you want the decorations to hold their shape for longer.Can I make the cupcakes and decorations ahead of time?
Yes. Bake the cupcakes the day before and store them in an airtight container. You can also prepare the Oreo cat faces ahead of time. For the best texture, wait until the day of serving to frost the cupcakes and assemble the cats, since the cookies can soften when they sit against the frosting.How do I keep the Oreo cat ears from falling over?
Press the licorice ears gently into the buttercream on either side of the Oreo face. Make sure the frosting swirl is generous enough to hold them. If the ears are particularly large or heavy, trim them a little smaller so they’re easier to position.Can I freeze the cupcakes?
Yes. Freeze the unfrosted chocolate cupcakes in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw them completely before adding the buttercream and decorations. I recommend decorating them after thawing so the cat faces look fresh and the cookies keep their texture.Can kids help decorate these Halloween cupcakes?
Absolutely! These are a great baking project for kids. An adult can prepare the cupcakes, cut the licorice, and pipe the buttercream, while kids help position the candy eyes, noses, and ears. The cats don’t have to look perfect. In fact, different expressions make the finished batch even more fun!
More Delicious Cakes
Recipe
Black Cat Cupcakes for Halloween
Prep Time 50 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Cooling: 30 minutes Time: 1 hour 40 minutes 
Difficulty: Intermediate
Yield: 12 cupcakesIngredients
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 eggs
- 100 ml milk
- ¾ dl canola oil
- 100 ml coffee (hot)
Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1/2 batch of my chocolate buttercream with cocoa
- Black gel food coloring
Royal icing:
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
- 1½ tsp egg whites (approx.)
For Decorating:
- 12 Oreos
- 24 round licorice candies
- 24 candy eyes
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a large bowl. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, vanilla, and salt, then whisk briefly to combine.150 g all-purpose flour, 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder, 200 g granulated sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp vanilla, ½ tsp salt
- Add eggs, milk, and canola oil, and stir the batter together with a wooden spoon. Finally, add hot coffee and stir until the batter is smooth.1 eggs, 100 ml milk, ¾ dl canola oil, 100 ml coffee
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin liners in a muffin pan. Bake at 180 °C (356 °F) for 15–17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Chocolate buttercream:
- Make the chocolate buttercream according to the recipe. Add black gel food coloring and stir until the color is evenly distributed.1/2 batch of my chocolate buttercream with cocoa, Black gel food coloring
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the buttercream.
Royal Icing:
- Stir powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and egg white together in a bowl until you have a smooth glaze thin enough to pipe.60 g powdered sugar, 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1½ tsp egg whites
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the icing.
For Decorating:
- Cut flat licorice into triangular ears. Use some of the scraps to cut tiny triangular cat noses.24 round licorice candies
- Pipe royal icing whiskers onto the Oreos. Attach the cat nose where the whiskers meet.12 Oreos
- Attach candy eyes to your Oreos with a small dab of royal icing.24 candy eyes
- Pipe a short swirl of frosting on the cooled cupcakes.
- Press an Oreo into the center of the frosting so it sticks in place. Add the cat ears.
Notes
- If serving the same day, keep the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
- If serving the next day, store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge and take them out 1 hour before serving.
