Ghost Pull Apart Cupcake Cake

Name: Ghost Pull Apart Cupcake Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 24 cupcakes of choice ((I prepared 1 box vanilla cake mix)); 2 tubs white frosting; 1 tube black decorating gel ((0.75 oz)); 24 cupcake liners; 1 decorating bag; offset spatula ((or spreading tool))

posted by Alyssia Sheikh on October 21, 2021 (updated March 12, 2023)

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Halloween Ghost Pull Apart Cupcakes

How to Make a Ghoulish Halloween Cupcake Cake

This adorable ghost pull apart cupcake cake is the perfect sweet treat to serve at a Halloween party! Made of individual cupcakes all frosted together to create a larger cake, it’s a fun dessert that guests can pull apart and enjoy. Simple, spooky, and so quick to throw together! Learn how to make Halloween pull apart cupcakes decorated in a ghoulish ghost shape.

Rather than decorating individual cupcakes, this Halloween cupcake cake lets you frost multiple cupcakes all at once to create one larger design. It has the impressive appearance of a cake, but it’s perfectly pre-portioned! As party guests grab and devour their cupcakes from the platter, watch this sweet ghost disappear.

Best of all, Halloween pull apart cupcakes are so easy to decorate and great for beginners! No metal piping tips required, and you don’t even need to use decorating bags if you don’t have them. Just form cupcakes into a ghost shape, spread frosting on liberally, then draw a ghoulish ghost face with decorating gel. Quick as that, you’ve got a ghost pull apart cupcake cake ready to serve!

Halloween Cupcake Cake Ingredients

Cupcakes of Choice: I baked a batch of vanilla boxed cake mix into cupcakes because it was the easiest and most convenient option. You can use any flavor cupcake that you like, and you can whip up a batch of homemade cupcakes if preferred! If using boxed cake mix, just remember you’ll also need oil and eggs as listed on the package.
White Frosting: This is crucial for creating the white background on your ghost pull apart cupcake cake! I recommend buying 2 tubs of frosting to be safe, so you can be generous with the amount of frosting you apply.
Black Decorating Gel: You can create the ghost’s face however you like, but I find cupcake decorating gel to be the easiest tool to use.

Cupcake Decorating Equipment

Cupcake Liners: Remember to bake your cupcakes in cupcake liners, so guests can grab a piece of your Halloween pull apart cake easily.
Decorating Bag: This is optional, but a decorating bag is a helpful tool to distribute the frosting across the entire surface of your ghost pull apart cupcakes.
Offset Spatula: Use a regular or large offset spatula to spread the frosting across your cupcakes. Either use this in conjunction with a decorating bag, or use it alone to transfer frosting straight from the tub. A spreader knife or butter knife can also work if needed.

Arrange cooled cupcakes on a platter in a ghost shape.

Add white frosting liberally to cover entire surface of Halloween cupcake cake—either squeeze it from a decorating bag, or spread it on directly from the tub.

Use an offset spatula to spread frosting evenly across the cupcakes. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth—try to intentionally create some texture with the spatula. — Use an offset spatula to spread frosting evenly across the cupcakes. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth—try to intentionally create some texture with the spatula.

Use black decorating gel to draw on a ghost face and fill it in.

How to Make Ghost Pull Apart Cupcakes

Bake boxed cake mix according to package directions (or homemade cupcake recipe) to prepare 24 cupcakes. Allow to cool completely, for at least 1 hour.
Arrange cupcakes into a ghost shape, making sure the cupcakes are close enough to touch one another.
Spread white frosting liberally onto the surface of ghost pull apart cupcake cake. Option 1: Squeeze frosting all over surface of the cake using a decorating bag, then spread with an offset spatula. Option 2: Spread frosting straight from the tub using an offset spatula.
Use black decorating gel to draw on a spooky ghost’s face.
Serve Halloween pull apart cupcakes for party guests to grab and enjoy!

More Easy Halloween Cupcake Ideas:

Watch how to make this ghost pull apart cupcake cake in my Last-Minute Halloween Cupcakes video!