Stamped Halloween Cupcakes are a cute Halloween dessert topped with stamped fondant circles. The cupcakes and frosting are both made with chocolate milk, for an ultra-rich chocolate taste, and the fun graphic toppers are SO easy to make.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and a "Trick or Treat" fondant plaque | From SugarHero.com

These Stamped Halloween Cupcakes are both a trick AND a treat. They taste incredible (there’s the treat part) and there’s an easy trick for making the edible stamped fondant cupcake topper. They look so impressive, you’ll be surprised—and delighted—at how simple they are to make. Need more easy cupcake inspiration? Try out these delicious Brain Cupcakes!

This is a really fun recipe for everyone to play around with, so invite the kids into the kitchen with you to make some Halloween magic!

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - group of chocolate cupcakes with cute Halloween-themed fondant circles on top | From SugarHero.com

This recipe starts with a rich chocolate cupcake, topped with swirls of chocolate buttercream. I wanted all of the elements to be ultra-chocolatey, so I swapped chocolate milk for regular milk in both the cake batter and the frosting. The result? Double and triple chocolate flavors!

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - pouring chocolate milk into a glass with chocolate cupcakes nearby | From SugarHero.com

So if you’re ready to get in the kitchen, play with your food, and make some chocolate magic, here’s a little tutorial for making these fun cupcake toppers.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - close-up of chocolate cupcake with fondant circle on top with witch hat design | From SugarHero.com

What You Need to Make Stamped Fondant Circles:

  • Fondant: I used white homemade marshmallow fondant
  • A circle cutter: make sure it’s large enough to encompass the designs on your stamps! You can cut several sizes of circles if your stamps are different sizes
  • Clean, unused stamps. Wash them with hot soapy water before your first use! Stamps with bold lines and not too much detail work best. Very thin, detailed line work will get lost and muddy. I ordered most of my cute Halloween stamps from a vendor on etsy.
  • Gel food coloring – gel provides the brightest colors
  • Felt (or several folded layers of untextured paper towels)
  • Plastic lids or containers – optional, but the easiest and cleanest way to use the felt as a stamp pad

Note: I wanted to find a way to make food coloring stamps using common household items, to keep this as simple as possible, so my instructions recommend using felt or paper towels. But if you have access to an unused, un-inked stamp pad, that’s probably the easiest route, so feel free to use that instead.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - ingredients needed to make stamped fondant circles, including fondant, food coloring, stamps, and felt | From SugarHero.com

Dust your work surface with powdered sugar, and roll out the fondant until it is between 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Thinner fondant will harden faster, while thicker fondant will be sturdier. Use your circle cutter to cut out at least 24 circles. I recommend making a few extra, in case of breakage or stamping mishaps. Let them harden overnight or in an oven on very low heat before stamping them.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - rolling and cutting fondant circles for stamped fondant plaques | From SugarHero.com

Now let’s make an edible food coloring stamp pad! Cut the felt so that it fits in your plastic lids. You can also put the felt in containers or even on small plates, if that’s what you have. I like using plastic lids because they’re light and portable, the plastic lip keeps the felt from moving around, and after I’m done stamping I can put the whole thing in a plastic bag and save it for later use.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - making edible ink pads out of felt, and using food coloring to make edible stamps | From SugarHero.com

Lightly spritz the felt with water, and add some gel food coloring. Use a brush to spread the color across the surface of the felt until it’s absorbed. Press a stamp firmly onto the felt stamp pad until it has an even coating of food coloring.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - stamping a fondant circle with a "Boo!" stamp | From SugarHero.com

Do a few test stamps on paper or fondant scraps to make sure that you know how much pressure to use, then load the stamp up with color again, and press it onto a fondant circle. You might go through a few circles before you perfect your technique, and that’s okay—even imperfectly stamped fondant is still cute!

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - group of fondant circles stamped with different Halloween designs and colors | From SugarHero.com

Once you figure out your technique, it’s all systems go! Try different stamps and different colors. You can even add several colors to the same stamp pad to make an ombre effect. Have fun with it! You can add more food coloring as necessary, and if the felt starts to dry out while you’re stamping, spritz it with a little water to revive it.

Once all of the fondant circles are stamped, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, until the food coloring is dry to the touch.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - putting a rim of orange sparkling sugar around a fondant circle stamped with an orange pumpkin | From SugarHero.com

This final step is optional, but I like to do it because it really makes the fondant circles pop. When the stamp is dry, you can brush a thin layer of corn syrup around the edges of the fondant circle, then roll the edges in sparkling sugar or other sprinkles. Instant Halloween glitz!

If you’re going to be transporting your cupcake and want them SUPER secure, you can use melted white chocolate to glue a long toothpick to the back of each fondant circle. If you’re just going to be serving them at home, they’ll be secure enough without the toothpick.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - assortment of stamped Halloween gift tags with colorful string | From SugarHero.com

After your fondant circles are done, you can even use the stamps and food coloring stamp pads to make little Halloween cards and tags to go along with your cupcakes!

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - | From SugarHero.com

These cupcakes make great edible gifts and spooky treats to share with neighbors and teachers. I’m picturing a little Halloween goodie basket with a few cupcakes, and a customized Halloween card that goes along with the cupcakes. Too cute? Too cute!

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - piping chocolate frosting on a chocolate cupcake | From SugarHero.com

We shared some of our Stamped Halloween Cupcakes with friends and coworkers, and kept the rest for ourselves to enjoy during family movie night. Served with chocolate milk to wash it all down, they were complete perfection…and my son’s chocolate mustache told me he loved them too.

Stamped Halloween Cupcakes - group of double chocolate cupcakes topped with a Halloween fondant plaque, with chocolate milk | From SugarHero.com

I hope you’ll give these a try, and please share a photo if you do—I’d love to see your creations!

👻More Halloween Cupcakes to Enjoy

Stenciled Halloween Sprinkle Cake on a white cake stand with pumpkins in the background.

Stenciled Halloween Sprinkle Cake

This simple white cake with buttercream frosting and sprinkles makes a fa-BOO-lous presentation! It's featured in candy-corn themed colors of white, yellow and orange. With a parchment stencil and ombre sprinkles, this cake couldn't be easier to make!
View Recipe
Close up of the top of a Monster Cake.

Monster Cake

This Monster Cake is so good, it’s scary! This cute Halloween layer cake has a base covered in sprinkles, and a top layer decorated to look like a mini monster. Perfect for parties and spooky occasions! You can use whatever cookies and candies you have to customize the monster and really go wild.
View Recipe
Chocolate Cupcakes with Triple Chocolate Frosting | From SugarHero.com

Chocolate Cupcakes with Triple Chocolate Frosting

5 from 12 votes
Stamped Halloween Cupcakes are a cute Halloween dessert topped with stamped fondant circles. The cupcakes and frosting are both made with chocolate milk, for an ultra-rich chocolate taste. Roll the sides in chocolate sprinkles for an even more intense effect! 
Prep30 minutes
Cook22 minutes
Total52 minutes
Yields24 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • 6 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4.75 oz granulated sugar, (2/3 cup)
  • 5 oz brown sugar, (2/3 cup), packed
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8 fl oz chocolate milk, (1 cup), at room temperature- you can replace with regular milk
  • 4 fl oz sour cream, (1/2 cup), at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp water, or coffee
  • 7.8 oz all-purpose flour, (1¾ cups)
  • 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, (1 cup)
  • tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt

For the Triple Chocolate Frosting:

  • 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (can use unsweetened for a darker chocolate flavor)
  • 24 oz powdered sugar, (6 cups)
  • 2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, (2/3 cup)
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 fl oz chocolate milk, (1/2 cup), you can replace with regular milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions 

To Make the Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pans with 24 paper wrappers.
  • Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the chocolate milk, sour cream, and water (or coffee, if using). In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add a quarter of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have almost all disappeared, add a third of the liquid to the mixing bowl. When that’s incorporated, continue to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
  • When the dry ingredients are nearly incorporated, stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand. Scoop the batter into the cupcake pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely before decorating.

To Make the Triple Chocolate Frosting:

  • Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Place the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is moistened, then turn to medium speed and beat for 4 minutes.
  • Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly stream in the chocolate milk and vanilla. Once it is incorporated, turn the speed back to medium and beat for another 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  • Turn the mixer speed back to low, and add the chocolate. Once the chocolate is mixed in, raise the speed back to medium and beat for one minute more. Use immediately, or place in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed on top. The frosting can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before using.

To Assemble:

  • Fit a piping bag with a large star tip. Pour chocolate sprinkles into a bowl.
  • Pipe a big swirl of frosting on top of a cupcake. Hold the cupcake in one hand over the sprinkle bowl. With the other hand, pick up a handful of sprinkles and press them into the base of the piped frosting, all the way around the cupcake. Dust off the excess sprinkles. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and frosting.
  • Top each cupcake with a stamped fondant plaque.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have chocolate milk, you can replace it with regular milk and it will work just as well! 

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and hashtag it #SugarHero. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @elabau.
Close up of a Stamped Halloween Cupcake in a purple wrapper.

Stamped Fondant Plaques

5 from 12 votes
These fun Stamped Fondant Plaques are SO easy to make. All you need are clean, unused stamps, plus a few other household items, to make your very own edible stamp pads and stamps. Plus, they can be customized with whatever colors, designs, or shapes you’d like!
Prep30 minutes
Cook0 minutes
Total30 minutes
Yields24 plaques

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the fondant into a thin layer about 1/8” thick.
  • Choose a circle cutter that’s large enough to contain the design of your stamps. Cut out 24 fondant circles, re-rolling the fondant scraps if necessary until you have 2 dozen circles. Place them on parchment-covered baking sheets dusted with powdered sugar.
  • For the best results, let the fondant circles sit and harden at room temperature overnight, or place them in a very low oven (170 F) for no more than 10 minutes, then cool completely until hard.
  • To make your own stamp pad, cut a circle of felt to fit a small plastic lid or container. You can also use an uninked stamp pad, or folded paper towels—untextured towels work best.
  • Lightly mist the felt with a spritz of water, then add gel food coloring. Brush it across the surface of the felt until it’s absorbed.
  • Press a clean stamp firmly onto the felt stamp pad until it has an even coating of food coloring. Do a few test stamps to make sure that you know how much pressure to use, then load the stamp up with color again, and press it onto a fondant circle. Repeat with other stamps and colors.
  • As you use the stamp, you can add more food coloring as necessary. If the felt starts to dry out, you can spritz it lightly with water to revive it.
  • If desired, you can wait until the stamped fondant patterns dry, then brush a thin layer of light corn syrup around the edges of the fondant circles and roll the edges in sparkling sugar.
  • Stamped fondant plaques can be made weeks in advance. Let them dry completely, then store them between layers of parchment paper at room temperature. Do not let them come into contact with moisture, or the ink will run and the fondant will get soft and sticky.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?

Nutrition

Calories: 35kcal
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and hashtag it #SugarHero. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @elabau.

Meet Elizabeth!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth — a trained pastry chef, cookbook author, video instructor, and your new Baking BFF! I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to be a sugar hero. ❤️

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16 Comments

  1. Hi,
    These are so cute! Which
    kind of chocolate sprinkles
    did you use? They look
    perfect. I’ve not seen these
    before.
    Nancy

    1. Thanks, Nancy! They’re by Cacao Barry and they’re officially called Chocolate Pailletés, although I’ve heard them called chocolate fins and chocolate flakes as well. I LOVE them–they’re pretty and shiny and actually made of chocolate, so they taste good! I bought mine from Amazon. Here’s one link for you: https://amzn.to/2CwvKIb

  2. These cupcakes look incredible! Using chocolate milk for chocolate cupcakes seems so logical – why haven’t I thought of that?! Genius!

  3. Wow these cupcakes look and sound amazing. he edible stamps are awesome. Love the idea of using chocolate milk instead of regular milk!

  4. I admit I am drooling a little! I was looking for a Halloween recipe and I have found it, this is fantastic. I LOVE how you have used the chocolate milk, I could also just have a glass of that, it looks so appealing. Great recipe Elizabeth!

    1. Hey Adrianne, thanks so much for following along! Definitely let me know if you end up making them. Thanks again!

  5. I love working with fondant, but I’ve never thought about using actual stamps with it! What a genius idea. It’s funny how often craft items can be used with baking, and vice versa. Most of the time I try to buy two of everything so I can use one for my crafts, and one for baking and decorating!

  6. Such a cool idea! This would make you the coolest person at the bake sale for sure — so creative! And love the idea of rolling the sides in sprinkles. Yum!