Day of the dead cupcakes recipe
Celebrate the season with these chocolate day of the dead cupcakes. Festive and delicious, they are perfect for a Día de los Muertos party. With colorful sugar skull decorations and fun sprinkles, they will be the hit of your festivities.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my caramel apple cupcakes and my devil’s food cupcakes recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my cupcake recipes in one place.

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Why you should make this recipe
These chocolate cupcakes use Mexican chocolate, which has a bit of cinnamon in it. I also add in a pinch of cayenne pepper for a tiny bit of heat (optional, of course), to give these cupcakes a twist on devil’s food.
- Colorful – Topped with multi-colored sprinkles and sugar skull decorations, they are bright and festive.
- Quick and easy – The cupcake batter is made in a sauce pan and no mixer is required.
- Unique – Swapping in Mexican chocolate and chili makes these cupcakes unique and delicious.

Day of the dead cupcakes
Deep, dark chocolate cupcakes with the distinct flavor of Mexican chocolate and the tiniest hint of heat. That sums up the flavor of this recipe.
What makes these cupcakes unique is the chocolate. Mexican chocolate is sold in round tablets that are scored in wedges (like a pie). Because it has sugar in the chocolate, you can melt it into hot milk for “instant” Mexican hot chocolate.
Decorated with a simple buttercream frosting, they are topped with colorful sprinkles and small sugar skull decorations.

What is Día de los Muertos?
Since the Disney movie “Coco” came out, I think people have a better understanding that this holiday is not the Mexican version of Halloween – It is a time to remember friends and family who have passed on. In Mexico, people go to the cemeteries to give the departed offerings of their favorite things.
They’ll often leave food and drinks, candles, photos and little trinkets. It may sound a bit morbid, but it’s quite the opposite. It’s a celebration of life and it’s full of color, which is why I wanted to share these Day of the Dead cupcakes with you.
Skulls are often decorated with marigolds, so I gave my cupcakes a floral flair. Everything is edible, even the flowers. The flowers are of course optional, but I love how they look on this cupcake and they give it an authentic feel.
Ingredients
This recipe does use one special ingredient, but it is available at many grocery stores: Mexican chocolate.

- All-purpose flour – Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. I highly recommend using a scale to measure flour.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in your baked goods.
- Mexican chocolate – Sold in round tablets, and scored like a pie so you can break them apart, this chocolate contains cinnamon.
- Substitution: Use a dark chocolate candy bar (72% is perfect) + a pinch of cinnamon.
- Cocoa powder – I use Cacao Barry. It is a Dutch-process cocoa powder. It is hands down better than anything I’ve ever had from the grocery store.
- Substitution: Any Dutch-process cocoa powder.
- Vanilla – Gives baked goods that familiar flavor we all love.
- Brown sugar – It has a deeper flavor than regular sugar, thanks to molasses. Light or dark will work.
- Eggs – Provide moisture and structure to the dough.
- Salt – All baked goods need salt.
- Baking soda – Baking soda helps the cupcakes rise.
- Cayenne (optional) – Chili pepper gives the cupcakes a tiny bit of heat.
- Black coffee (not pictured) – Coffee brings out the chocolate flavor.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make day of the dead cupcakes. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

- Melt – Combine butter and coffee in a sauce pan, and stir until melted.
- Combine – Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients and whisk together.
- Portion – Use a scoop to portion out cupcake batter to ensure they are uniform in size and bake at the same rate.
- Bake – Bake cupcakes until a tester inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached.

Would you like to save this recipe?
It is important not to overfill the cupcake liners. You want to fill them 2/3 full, otherwise they will overflow. Once the cupcakes have cooled in the tin, remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream frosting while the cupcakes are cooling. Use a colorful sprinkle mix to decorate the cupcakes, then top with an edible sugar skull decoration.

The method for this recipe was inspired by Stella Parks. I updated this recipe from 2019 and used her method for a one bowl cake. In doing so, this recipe became even easier to make.
Day of the dead cupcakes FAQ’s
Mexican chocolate has cinnamon in it, which gives it a really nice flavor and makes these Mexican chocolate cupcakes extra delicious.
Store them covered at room temperature for a couple of days.
Yes. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container.

Variations and substitutions
- Spicy – Add in a pinch of chipotle or ancho chili powder to give it an extra spicy, smoky kick.
- Extra dark – Swap out the Mexican chocolate for dark chocolate. I like a 72% chocolate bar.
Serving suggestions
For a Mexican-themed Halloween party, here are a few delicious recipes to complete your menu.
- Pumpkin empanada recipe (from scratch)
- Rajas
- Chicken Tacos with Cumin Lime Crema
- Ceviche with Jalapeño and Corn
- Atole – A thick, creamy drink made from corn. Add a bit of Mexican chocolate to turn it into champurrado.
- Pan de Muerto – It literally translates as “bread of the dead”.

Helpful tools and equipment
- This scoop will give you the perfect sized cupcake. I use it for portioning cupcake and muffin batter, cookie dough, etc.
- A mini offset spatula is the perfect tool to remove cupcakes from the pan to the cooling rack.
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Day of the Dead Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 stick unsalted butter // 113g // 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup black coffee // 100ml
- 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder // 28g
- 2 1/2 ounces Mexican chocolate 3/4 tablet // 70g, roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup brown sugar // 150g // 5.3 ounces
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt reduce by half if using table salt
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour // 85g // 3 ounces
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper optional
Buttercream
- 3 sticks butter unsalted, room temperature // 340g
- 4 cups powdered sugar // 450g
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. milk or cream
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
Decorations
- sprinkles
- sugar skulls
Instructions
- Make Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F // 180°C, and fill cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine butter and coffee over low heat. When butter has melted, remove from heat and add cocoa powder and chopped Mexican chocolate. Whisk until smooth and chocolate has melted.
- Add brown sugar, vanilla and salt, whisk to combine, then add whole eggs, plus yolk, and whisk again.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda and cayenne (if using). Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Using a scoop, portion cupcake batter in liners. Do not fill more than 2/3 full. *See note
- Bake for 15 minutes, A tester inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out with a few crumbs attached to it.
- Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While cupcakes are cooling, make buttercream.
- Make Buttercream & decorate cupcakes
- Combine butter and half of the powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together until combined, then slowly add the remaining sugar.
- Add salt, milk and vanilla. Beat for 4 – 5 minutes until very fluffy.
- Use a piping bag fitted with a tip or a small knife to frost the cupcakes.
- Decorate with sprinkles and edible sugar skulls.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally published 9/14/19, most recent update 10/25/23.
I love caramel apples!
Stop it, these are AMAZING!
THANK YOU!!!!! I’m so glad someone likes them! 🙂
Day of the Dead is the coolest holiday and these are the coolest (spicy) cupcakes to celebrate with!
Thank you so much! I appreciate it! xx
These make me so happy! I absolutely LOVE them!
These cupcakes are so gorgeous! The little sugar skull sprinkles are the perfect finishing touch!
Thank you so much, Valentina!
Are those pineapple flowers? Those sugar skulls are super cute. They look almost too pretty to eat!
*Almost* too pretty to eat 🙂
The flowers are marigolds, I pulled them apart to make them a bit smaller.
Unbelievable gorgeous! You are so talented.
Thank you!!!!
Mexican chocolate is so good and these cupcakes are so colorful.
Amazingly delicious!! Rave reviews when I served them at a Halloween party last weekend. Loved the texture of the cake. Question-can I substitute bittersweet chocolate for the Mexican chocolate?
Thank you so much, Patricia!!! You can absolutely substitute bittersweet chocolate for the Mexican chocolate. You could even use semi-sweet 🙂
Hello! These cupcakes are beautiful, where can i get the exact sprinkles you used? I will be making these for sure.
Hi Violeta! I’ll have to go look! LOL It’s been awhile. I’ll email you back with the info soon!
Hi! These look so awesome! I am getting a mold to make the sugar skulls but what is the best recipe to use to make the skulls and then how do you get the decorations on the skulls to look so perfect? What is best to use to decorate them?
Hi Connie, here is the link to find the sugar skulls used to decorate the cupcakes.
I am not that talented ;), I’d never be able to make them that perfect!
I am wondering if I make these the day before serving & frost and decorate them with the sugar skulls as pictured, will the skulls get soggy? Appreciate your advice & thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Liz, You can frost the cupcakes, but just to be on the safe side, I would add the decorations just before serving… especially if you plan to refrigerate, because the fridge will make them soggy.
It was great.I loved how you make lovely recipes they are very good well done!
Thank you so much, Ava!