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    Home » All Desserts » By Holiday » Halloween

    Published: Sep 23, 2018 · Modified: Nov 16, 2022 by Claire

    Braaaaaains (Cupcakes)!

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·★★★★★5 from 1 review
    bleeding brain cupcakes against a black backdrop

    Your Halloween dessert table is sure to be the talk of the town with these "bloody" good brain cupcakes!

    bleeding brain cupcakes against a black backdrop

    If you like Halloween treats that are equal parts "ewww" and "yuuuum", then you've come to the right place! These bleeding brain cupcakes are sure super simple to make (heck, you can make them with store bought cupcakes and frosting) and will slowly bleed for that freshly harvested brain effect. But watch out, the corn syrup blood will eventually bleed off these cupcakes so they're best served immediately.

    How to make brain cupcakes

    First, tint your frosting pink. Spoon half of it into a piping bag with a small round tip on the end and use the other half to frost your cupcakes with a slight dome of frosting.

    Step-by-step photos for making brain cupcakes

    Second, piping some squiggly brain wrinkles onto the top of you cupcakes.

    Step-by-step photos for making brain cupcakes

    Finally, mix up your blood and start drizzling!

    How to make the perfect brain cupcakes

    • Remember, no two brains are alike, nor are they perfect. Play around with your brain wrinkle pattern until you get a look you like. Don't be afraid to scoop the frosting off and start over if you're not satisfied.
    • Because the "blood" has a tendency to slowly run off the cupcakes, you can increase the amount of time it takes by freezing the cupcakes until the frosting is hard (about 5 minutes) before drizzling.

    bleeding brain cupcake against a black backdrop with a bloody knife to the side

    Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

    Print

    Recipe

    Braaaaaains (Cupcakes)!

    bleeding brain cupcakes against a black backdrop
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 review

    Your Halloween dessert table is sure to be the talk of the town with these "bloody" good brain cupcakes!

    • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 12 cupcakes
    • 2 cups frosting
    • Red food gel coloring
    • ¼ cup light corn syrup
    • 1 tbsp baking cocoa

    Instructions

    1. Color your frosting pink and spoon about half of it into a piping bag with a small round tip. Use the remaining frosting to frost your cupcakes with a dome shape.
    2. With the tip of an offset spatula or butter knife, make a line down the center of your frosting (this will be the center line of your brains).
    3. Pipe a winding pattern of frosting on each side of the center line to create the brain wrinkles.
    4. No two brains are alike nor are they perfect, so play around with this part. Just be careful not to push down too much while you're piping because you don't want to flatten down the frosting wrinkles.
    5. In a small bowl, stir together your corn syrup, baking cocoa, and a few drops of red food coloring. Drizzle or dip the tops of the cupcakes with the corn syrup "blood."
    6. Serve immediately (the corn syrup "blood" has a tendency to slowly run so the cupcakes will look less bloody the longer they sit).

    Notes

    • Remember, no two brains are alike, nor are they perfect. Play around with your brain wrinkle pattern until you get a look you like. Don't be afraid to scoop the frosting off and start over if you're not satisfied.
    • Because the "blood" has a tendency to slowly run off the cupcakes, you can increase the amount of time it takes by freezing the cupcakes until the frosting is hard (about 5 minutes) before drizzling.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cupcake

    Keywords: halloween cupcakes, brain cupcakes, halloween dessert

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @thesimplesweetlifeblog on Instagram and hashtag it #thesimplesweetlife

    Did you like this recipe? You might also like...

    • Bat Doughnuts
    • Ghastly Candy Bark
    • Marshmallow Bones
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    Update Notes: This post was originally published in October of 2015 but was republished with step by step photos and tips in September of 2018.

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Sinead says

      October 04, 2015 at 6:13 pm

      These look amazing! Also kind of disgusting but I mean that in the best possible way 🙂 Such a fun idea for Halloween!

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        October 10, 2015 at 1:19 am

        With these cupcakes, I'll definitely take disgusting as a compliment. 😉

        Reply
    2. angelinepeterman says

      October 07, 2015 at 3:25 pm

      Oh my gosh! I am part of the second group of people BUT I cannot deny that these look awesome and I am totally thinking of doing this for my kids 🙂 They would get a kick out of it!

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        October 10, 2015 at 1:27 am

        Come to the dark side Angeline! We have really awesome (albeit slightly creepy) cupcakes! 😉

        Reply
    3. has2run says

      October 07, 2015 at 10:33 pm

      I would totally make those. I always wonder what people were thinking when they came up with some of these ideas. Thanks
      bakingrunner.blogspot.com

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        October 10, 2015 at 1:30 am

        I can't speak for everyone, but I was definitely thinking, "I've made some fun Halloween stuff, some cute stuff... now how can I work in some scare-the-crap-out-of-your-friends stuff..."

        Reply
    4. MyYellowApron says

      October 26, 2016 at 11:53 am

      They actually look amazing to me. Perfect for Halloween.

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        November 20, 2016 at 7:43 pm

        Thank you! 😀

        Reply
    5. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says

      October 26, 2016 at 6:34 pm

      Ewwww.....they are perfectly gross! The kids would love 'em! 🙂

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        November 20, 2016 at 7:44 pm

        Perfectly gross? Best Halloween compliment ever! 😀

        Reply
    6. annelawton says

      October 26, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      I am from group 2 but love this idea!

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        November 20, 2016 at 7:44 pm

        Thank you Anne! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Leah says

      October 29, 2016 at 3:48 pm

      Haha! These are so gross, but I mean that in the best way! They are great!

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        November 20, 2016 at 7:46 pm

        Pretty sure "gross" is the best Halloween food-related compliment. 😉 I'll take it!

        Reply
    8. Abra Pappa says

      October 30, 2016 at 7:18 am

      So cute and creepy!

      Reply
      • The Simple, Sweet Life says

        November 20, 2016 at 7:46 pm

        Thank you! 😀

        Reply
    9. Maeve Kennedy Grimes says

      February 25, 2022 at 1:45 pm

      I was afraid of too much running blood, so injected it in the middle and if just gushed a bit when people bit in...they loved it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Nicole says

      February 03, 2023 at 1:20 pm

      These look great! What size piping tip did you use for the squiggles?

      Reply
      • Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

        February 05, 2023 at 4:45 pm

        Hi Nicole! I often use tipless piping bags so I can cut the tip to whatever size I need. In the case of these cupcakes, I cut the tip to about 1/8" - 3/16". That would probably be pretty close to a Wilton #4 or 5 round tip.

        Reply

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