Pull-Apart Spiderweb Cupcakes

Treat your family with a perfect Halloween dessert! Enjoy these wonderful spiderweb cupcakes made with white cake mix and fluffy white frosting.





Prep time:  20 minutes
Total time:  1 hour 40 minutes
Servings:  24


1 box white cake mix (or any other flavor)
Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on cake mix box
orange gel food color
2 containers fluffy white frosting
1 tube (0.68 oz) black decorating gel
Plastic spiders for decoration

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.                           

2. Mix and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.                           

3. On large round platter or pizza pan, arrange cupcakes, placing them close together. In medium bowl, mix food color and frosting. Spread frosting over cupcakes and spaces in between to create 1 large circle of frosting. Squeeze 1 large dot of black gel in center of frosting. With gel, draw concentric circles around the dot, spacing them about 2 inches apart. To create the web design, drag a toothpick from the center dot to the outer edge of the circle, about 12 times. Place plastic spiders on web. Store loosely covered.                           

Expert Tips

Use gummy spider candies for more color and to make this dessert completely edible.


Look for black cupcake liners with a spiderweb motif to complete the theme.


To easily transport the spiderweb, build it on a portable deli tray that comes with a cover.


If you have only one pan and a recipe calls for more cupcakes than your pan will make, cover and refrigerate the rest of the batter while baking the first batch. Cool the pan about 15 minutes, then bake the rest of the batter, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.