spiced spider cupcakes

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• spice cake:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• cream cheese frosting:
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more as needed
• decorations:
• 1 (.68 oz. tube) black decorating gel
• 24 large spiced gumdrops
• black shoestring licorice

Recipe

Cook Time: 25 mins Ready Time: 3 hrs 25 mins


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c). line cupcake pans with paper liners.
• combine flour, sugar, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in bowl; whisk to mix. in separate bowl, mix water, canola oil, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. pour liquids into dry mixture and stir until smooth. the batter will be very thin.
• transfer batter into a measuring cup or pitcher; pour batter into prepared cupcake pans.
• bake in preheated oven until tops spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
• beat cream cheese, butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon with an electric mixer until smooth. gradually mix in confectioners' sugar until frosting is creamy and spreadable. frost the cooled cupcakes.
• to decorate cupcakes, use black decorating gel to draw a small circle in the center of each cupcake. draw a larger circle around the first, and continue making larger circles until the last circle is about 1/4 inch from the edge. there should be about 5 rings on each cupcake. use a toothpick to draw about 8 lines radiating from the center of the cupcake to the edge, like spokes on a wheel, to make webs.
• cut the licorice strings into pieces about 1 1/4 inch long for legs. poke four licorice legs into both sides of each gumdrop. use decorating gel to make eyes and a smiley mouth on each gumdrop. place a gumdrop spider each cupcake in the center of the webs.