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1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. Salt

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 ½ tsp. vanilla

½ cup buttermilk, room temperature

12-15 pitted dates

1 cup confectioner's sugar

3 -water

Red food gel

Brown food gel

¾ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

2 heavy cream

Brown food gel

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with parchment liners. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate, larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture has lightened in color and is fluffy.

4. Add in the eggs one at a time mixing between each addition. Add in the vanilla.

5. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients alternate adding in the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mixing a little bit between each addition.

6. Do not over-mix the batter, use a silicone spatula to ensure that everything is combined nicely and evenly.

7. Scoop and fill the cupcakes to fill the liners and fill them about ¾ amount of the way.

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

9. Allow them to cool completely before decorating.

10. To make the buttercream, use a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment or an electric mixer and combine the butter, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla while slowly adding in one tablespoon of heavy cream at a time. Mix until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and creamy.

11. Add a few drops of brown food gel to the buttercream then use a silicone spatula to swirl the brown food gel around not mixing it all the way so that it leaves a marbled effect in the buttercream. Place the buttercream in a piping bag.

12. Starting with the icing, stir together the confectioner's sugar and water 1 teaspoon at a time until the icing is smooth and at a workable and pipeable consistency. Divide the icing in half and dye half of it brown then the other half dark red. Place each color in a piping bag.

13. Fill each date with red icing then set aside.

14. Pipe the buttercream in the center of each cupcake one at a time, then place the cupcake face down on a cookie sheet fit with parchment paper so that the cupcake is upsidedown with the frosting flat underneath it. Repeat this step for each one then place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes to set the frosting.

15. Once the frosting is set, remove each cupcake from the parchment paper and the tops of the cupcakes should be nice and flat.

16. Place a date on top of each cupcake then use the brown icing to pipe the antennas and legs. For nice thin lines, only cut a small tip off of the piping bag. Use the images above to help guide you on what shapes and sizes to pipe the legs.

17. Repeat the decorating process for each cupcake.

Tags: baking, cupcake, dessert, fig, halloween, holiday, make-ahead, thesqueakymixer