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Bleeding Brain Cupcakes

Elevate your Halloween festivities with these Bleeding Brain Cupcakes! These eye-catching red velvet treats are filled with luscious jam and topped with whimsical pink icing designed to resemble brains. Perfect for themed parties, trick-or-treat gatherings, or simply as a fun dessert at home, these cupcakes combine delightful flavors with a spooky appearance that will amaze your guests. Easy to make and customizable, they invite creativity and fun in the kitchen—especially for kids who will love decorating their own spooktacular creations!

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: Makes approximately 12 cupcakes 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 150g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 85ml buttermilk
  • 165g self-raising flour
  • 1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp red food coloring
  • 200g strawberry or raspberry jam
  • 200g unsalted butter (for icing)
  • 400g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • Pink food coloring

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake tin with black cases.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until fluffy.
  3. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
  4. Add buttermilk, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, red food coloring, and self-raising flour; mix until just incorporated.
  5. Evenly distribute batter into prepared cases and bake for 20–25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  6. Cool completely before cutting holes in the center of each cupcake.
  7. Fill holes with jam using a piping bag or small spoon.
  8. For the icing, beat softened butter then gradually add icing sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and pink food coloring until smooth.
  9. Pipe brain designs on each cupcake.
  • Author: Natalia
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cupcake (60g)
  • Calories: 290
  • Sugar: 30g
  • Sodium: 120mg
  • Fat: 15g
  • Saturated Fat: 8g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 7g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 35g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 50mg

Keywords: Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Don’t overmix your batter to keep cupcakes light and fluffy. Experiment with different fillings like chocolate ganache for variety.