Floating ghost cupcakes will make all the ghouls come out to the Halloween party. These cute fondant treats are easy to make, even the little witches and storm troopers can help.
These darling ghost cupcakes have a storied history, but we'll get to that later! First off I just have to talk about how cute these are all lined up on a party table. I love the 3-dimensional guys floating right on top of the cupcakes. It kind of makes you want to lift their skirts and see how they float!
How do you make ghost cupcakes?
Let me lift the ghost skirt for you! The little ghost cupcakes are made by laying a circle of white fondant on top of a Dum Dum lollipop.
The lollipops have just the right shape to make a ghost head, and the sticks go into the cupcakes to hold them on top. A little store-bought black decorating icing is used for the eyes and voila! You're done.
I really like making these on chocolate cupcakes, only because it seems a bit more dark and spooky (plus the white ghosts pop off the cupcakes). However, you could ice your cupcakes with a colored frosting, like green or orange. That would be darling!
To throw the BEST Halloween party, just include these cute floating ghost cupcakes
Tips for making fondant ghosts:
When rolling out fondant make sure to use cornstarch as your dusting powder, not flour. Cornstarch keeps the fondant from getting sticky and brushes right off if there's excess. Don't use too much or it will dry the fondant out. It's a little like rolling pie dough, you don't want to use too much flour! It just takes a little practice if you haven't done it before.
I use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut the ghost circles. If you don't have one you can cut a 4-inch circle from cardstock and use it as a template, cutting the fondant with a paring knife. Or find a plastic container or bowl that might work in place of a cutter!
Gently mold each fondant circle over the lollipops and use your fingers to pleat the bottom skirt. I like to have a piece of styrofoam or a floral block to stick the ghosts in as I work. But you can also place them right on the frosted cupcakes if you have them ready! (if you use styrofoam or oasis just make sure to clean off the lollipop stick before adding it to the cupcake!)
Floating Ghost Cupcakes are a cinch to make. You can even put them on store bought cupcakes!
I mentioned a storied history...Well, here's the scoop. Khalil (my coworker at Ladies' Home Journal magazine) and I developed this idea and recipe to feature in the magazine. It was a hit. Everyone loved it. Well, the folks over at Food Network Magazine loved it more than most people. The next year, we were flipping through their October issue and there was a complete copy of our Ghost Cupcakes! Even down to the chocolate cupcake and dark background.
We weren't happy. It was flattering I suppose. We tweeted them that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery and included images of their picture and ours from the year before right next to it. No response. Of course.
So as it goes, there's absolutely nothing you can do about something like that. So we didn't. But now I want to share this cute idea with YOU, so we both have it in our collections for when we throw the BEST Halloween party!
Floating Ghost Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 18 standard-size cupcakes
- 1 container chocolate frosting (16 oz) or homemade chocolate frosting (
- Cornstarch
- 1 pkg white fondant (l lb 8 oz)
- 18 sphere lollipops such as Dum Dums
- 1 tube black decorating icing
Instructions
- Frost cupcakes and set aside. Lightly dust work surface with cornstarch and roll fondant a little thinner than ⅛ inch. Cut 18 1½-inch rounds and 18 4-inch rounds with cookie cutters. Knead scraps together and reroll, as necessary.
- Insert the stick of a lollipop into a block of Styrofoam (or half a potato or apple) to hold it steady. Place one 1½-inch fondant round over lollipop and pinch to close. Then place larger fondant round over the smaller one, pleating to make a ghost shape. Repeat for all lollipops. Place a ghost in the center of each cupcake by inserting the stick into the cake. Pipe black eyes on each.
Notes
Nutrition
Try these great Halloween treats also.
Spooky & Fun Halloween Recipes
About Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.
Recipe Tara Teaspoon & Khalil Hymore. Photographs Kate Sears. Prop Stylist Gerri Williams. Originally published LHJ 9/10.
Mary Bench says
Your Halloween treats are amazingly darling!
Brittany Smart says
Wow! Those ghosts are so adorable
Brenda says
Can you make the ghosts a day ahead?
Tara says
Hi Brenda. Absolutely. Just have some styrofoam or something to let them stand upright in after you make them. They won’t hold their shape if the are set down flat.
I wouldn’t put them in the cupcake a day ahead.
Ryokineko says
How would you suggest storing them overnight before topping cupcakes?