These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness, perfect for Halloween!

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Ever since I started to blog full-time, I feel like I’ve gone a bit crazy. I’m at 2-3 grocery stores on a daily basis to find that perfect, ripe avocado, and now I’ve gotten into the habit of personally holding the avocados in my hand instead of throwing them into the shopping cart. You know I can’t have it bruised for the photos. And if I can’t find a certain ingredient, I’ll take extreme measures, like using the tortilla strips from a salad kit for my chicken tortilla soup.

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

But I might have done the craziest thing ever with these cupcakes here. See, I couldn’t find orange and yellow sprinkles so I took my stash of colored sprinkles and a tweezer to individually pick out the orange and yellow ones. But that’s not the end. I then strategically put each of these individual sprinkles on the frosting here. I figured, if I was crazy enough to pick each of them out, I might as well go all the way, right?

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

But aside from my neuroticness, let me tell you how fun these cupcakes are. It’s a simple vanilla based cupcake because well, I actually don’t really like candy corn, but with a little bit of food coloring, you could have a cute, orange and yellow layered cupcake so perfect for Halloween! Best of all, even non-candy corn lovers will go crazy over these!

Candy Corn Cupcakes - These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Candy Corn Cupcakes

These simple vanilla cupcakes can easily be dressed up to resemble the layers of candy corn goodness!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup milk
  • Yellow food coloring
  • Red food coloring
  • Yellow nonpareils, for garnish
  • Orange nonpareils, for garnish
  • Candy corn, for garnish

For the vanilla buttercream frosting

  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg, one at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla just until incorporated. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients and milk alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.
  • Divide batter in half; tint one batch yellow with yellow food coloring and tint second batch orange by combining yellow and red food coloring.
  • Scoop a spoonful of yellow batter evenly into the muffin tray. Top with orange batter to completely cover yellow batter. Place into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
  • In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1-2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add milk and vanilla, beating just until incorporated. Increase speed to medium high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, approximately 1-2 minutes.
  • Use a small offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost cupcakes, garnished with nonpareils and candy corn, if desired.

Did you make this recipe?

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