Brownie Cupcakes are super yummy and so easy to make. A unique twist on a classic – brownies plus cake plus frosting in one unique and delicious Cupcake.

Closeup on six Brownie Cupcakes sitting on a white table surrounded by Halloween sprinkles.

We were so happy with how these Brownie Cupcakes turned out.  They are unique, bright, colorful, and just scream “Halloween”.  But most importantly they are very yummy. The brownie and the cake taste great together and you definitely taste the two different textures in the cupcakes. They are the perfect dessert for a Halloween party, potluck, or any other kind of fun fall get-together. We give this a Two Sisters Halloween Thumbs Up!

Ingredients You Will Need

All the ingredients you will need to make Halloween Brownie Cupcakes including White Cake Mix, Brownie Mix, Eggs, Oil, Food Coloring and Halloween Sprinkles.

How to make the Cupcakes

Closeup of two white bowls, one filled  with cake batter and the other with brownie mix.

Step 1: Using the directions on the box of the Brownie mix, make the brownie batter.  We usually use Ghiradelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix because we like the added Chocolate Chips in the batter but you can use your favorite. Makeup the White Cake Mix using the directions on the box and when the batter is finished, color it with orange food coloring. If you want the brightest orange color, use the “egg whites only” directions.

Baking Instructions

Collage image showing how to fill the cupcake liners with both the brownie and the cake batter.

Steps 2-3: The trickiest part of making these Brownie Cupcakes is the ratio of Cake Batter to Brownie Mix. Add a spoonful of brownie mix to the cupcake liners.  The brownie batter should only go about 1/3 of the way up the cupcake liner.  You want more cake batter than brownie batter in the liners.
Steps 4-5: Then cover the brownie batter with the orange cake batter until the cake batter has filled the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. (If you add too much cake batter the cupcakes will overflow over the edges of the cupcake liner when they bake.)  

Closeup on the Brownie Cupcakes out of the oven, cooling on a white surface.

Step 6: Bake the cupcakes as you normally would, 15-20 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. The dome of the cupcake will bounce back to the touch when it is fully baked. Allow the cupcakes to cool.

How to Frost the Cupcakes

Collage image showing the Buttercream Frosting we used to frost the cupcake along with halloween sprinkles.

Step 7: Make a batch of our Best Buttercream Frosting to top your Brownie Cupcakes.  It is easy to make and so delicious.  You will find the recipe and detailed instructions on how to make it here.
Step 8: We used a pastry bag and a Wilton 2D Decorating Tip to swirl on the frosting.

Closeup of the Buttercream Frosting swirl on the Brownie Cupcake that is also covered in Halloween Sprinkles.

Step 9: We topped our Brownie Cupcakes for Halloween with some Orange and Black DIY Sprinkles.  It is so easy to make your own sprinkles we do it for everything now.  Here is our detailed instructions how to do make them.

Closeup of a Brownie Cupcake having the cupcake liner removed.

UPDATE:  We had a couple of comments from our readers saying that they had trouble removing the cupcake liner from the brownie portion of the cupcake. We didn’t have any problem with that ourselves but we wanted to do some tests so we made the Brownie Cupcakes again for our family Halloween Party.  We tried different cupcake liners (thin inexpensive ones, foil liners, heavier cupcake liners) and we didn’t have any problem with any of them.

But here are a couple of tips:

  • Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before you remove the liner.
  • Don’t remove the liner until right before you are ready to serve the Brownie Cupcakes, the cake will dry out if you take off the liner too soon.
  • In the picture above we show how we removed the liners.  First, pull down the sides of the cupcake liner but leave the flat bottom portion on.  Flatten down the sides of the cupcake liner and then gently roll the liner off the bottom of the cupcake while you hold the cupcake with your other hand.

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

What cake mix did you use?

We like Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Cake mix but any white cake mix will do.

What Brownie mix did you use?

Depending on how many Brownie Cupcakes you are going to make, you can get away with a regular-sized box of brownies so you don’t have brownie batter left over.  We use Ghiradelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix or Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix.

What food coloring did you use?

We like Wilton Color Right Food Coloring but any orange food coloring will work.

Other Halloween Treats you will love

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Brownie Cupcakes

Yield 20 cupcakes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 43 minutes

Brownie Cupcakes are super yummy and so easy to make. A unique twist on a classic - brownies plus cake plus frosting in one unique and delicious Cupcake.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mix up a batch of brownies according to the directions on the box.
  2. Mix up a box of White Cake Mix according to the directions on the box and color it with orange food coloring.
  3. Add a spoonful of brownie mix to the cupcake liners.  The brownie batter should only go about 1/3 of the way up the cupcake liner.  You want more cake batter than brownie batter.
  4. Then cover the brownie batter with the orange cake batter so that the cupcake liner is only 3/4 full.
  5. Bake the cupcakes as you normally would, 15-20 minutes in an over preheated to 350 degrees.
  6. Make a batch of our Best Buttercream Frosting to top your Brownie Cupcakes.
  7. Add Halloween Sprinkles

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!