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top view photo of Eyeball Cupcakes for Halloween that have a moist chocolate base, cream cheese frosting and eyeballs that consist of canned lychees, and blueberries and strawberry jam to look like “blood” dripping down the frosting.
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Eyeball Cupcakes (gluten-free option)

These eyeball cupcakes have a moist, chocolate base, cream cheese frosting and lychee, blueberry and strawberry jam eyeballs on top. With a gluten-free option.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar or 1/2 cup (160 grams) honey
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (105 grams) all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or for gluten-free, 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120 grams) Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free 1:1 Baking Flour
  • 6 tablespoons (42 grams) cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large (50 grams, out of shell) egg or 1 chia egg for egg-free
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) milk*
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) oil**
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water***

For the frosting:

  • 6 ounces (170 grams) cream cheese, room temperature****
  • 1.5 tablespoons (21 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar (you can add more, if desired)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the eyeballs:

  • 24 canned lychees (it's better to have a few extra in case some are broken)
  • 24 blueberries (or more in case some are too small for the lychee holes)
  • 1/3-1/2 cup strawberry jam (don't use the kind with chunks of strawberries in it)

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

  • Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a muffin pans with 12 liners.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and mix until combined.
  • Then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be almost as thin as water.
  • Fill each liner just a little more than halfway full.
  • Bake for 14 – 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, but no liquid.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, and then turn out onto a rack to cool. Let cool completely before frosting. They can be frozen unfrosted for about a month or refrigerateded for 4 days.

To make the frosting:

  • In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric hand mixer at medium speed until well combined. It's okay if it looks a little crumbly.
  • Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally combined and then beat in the salt and vanilla. If it's firm enough for your needs, frost your cupcakes.
  • Frost each totally cooled cupcake with 4 teaspoons frosting per cupcake. Keep refrigerated until ready to decorate.
  • If you need the frosting firmer, refrigerate for about an hour, stirring the frosting after about 30 minutes. Don't let it chill too long before frosting, though, because it gets quite firm, like a cream cheese tart filling. If that happens, just bring it to room temperature and then frost.
  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days and refrigerate anything you frost with this frosting. The frosting firms up once refrigerated so if you want the softer frosting texture (rather than a cream cheese tart filling kind of texture), let the cupcakes come to room temperature before serving.

To make the eyeballs:

  • I recommend decorating the cupcakes no more than half a day before serving. Rinse the lychees and pat them dry with paper towels.
  • Place a blueberry in the center of the lychee and place on a paper towel lined plate until all the eyeballs are ready.
  • Place the eyeballs on the frosted cupcakes. Spread about 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of jam over the eye. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

* Use whatever kind of milk you want, just not canned coconut milk as it's too thick. If that's all you have use half coconut milk and half water.
** Use whatever type of oil you want, but if you use olive oil, the batter will taste like it but once cool, you can't taste it. If you want to use coconut oil, I recommend refined coconut oil for no coconut taste.
*** I know that sounds like a lot of water but I promise you, you need 1/2 cup!
**** If you live outside of North America and have the kind of cream cheese that's meant for toast (that comes in a little plastic tub) rather than American style brick cream cheese, then get 225 grams of cream cheese, place it in the center of a cheesecloth, and wring out the liquid until you have 170 grams of cream cheese left.
Adapted from Hershey’s One Bowl Chocolate Cake