Brain Cupcakes in a Jar (2024)

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These creepy Brain Cupcakes in a Jar treats make the perfect Halloween party food! Great dessert recipe idea for a zombie or Halloween party. Get how-to recipe instructions, plus free printables for brain cupcakes in a mason jar.

Brain Cupcakes in a Jar areSpooktacular!

This fun recipe for brain cupcakes in a mason jar make the perfect dessert for a zombie or Halloween party. Everyone will go crazy over thesecreepy brain cupcakes in a jar treats!

We all know that spooky Halloween treats always make fun party food and gifts! I’m so happy to show you this fun Halloween food idea that I collaborated on with the talented Kristan Roland. We hope to creep you out in a fun way by these Brains in a Jar Cake. Enjoy!

Brain Cupcakes in a Jar originally published October 18, 2011

Brain Cupcakes in a Jar

Brain Cupcakes in a Jar are the perfect Halloween party food! It’salmost Halloween, so… surprise! We made you Brains in a Jar!! Isn’t that just what you’ve been wanting?Obviously these are not real brains (much to the disappointment ofour sons), but they’re close enough and are the perfect combination of creepy and gross.

Watch me make them by clicking play on the video below… so creepy and fun!

These fun brain cupcakescan be put together ahead of time, and would be great for a Zombie party, a Halloween party dessert table or class party. Or you can do what I do and take one to your child’s teacher and say, “here’s a Brain in a Jar…and I look forward to my kid getting A’s on his work for the rest of the year…” and give a giant awkward *WINK*.

Anyway… These Brain Cupcakes are seriously easy to put together and will wow your party guests. Or at least make them say “wow!”

How to Make Brain Cupcakes in a Jar

You’ll need these items for your Brains in a Jar!

- Small jars — I buy a box of half pint canning jars,but you can buy bigger ones if that’s what suits your fancy.
- Seedless Raspberry Jam— Because blood doesn’t have seeds in it, mmmkay?
- Pink cake— I used strawberry but you could color white batter if you prefer. I baked mine in a large jelly roll pan so it would be thin, but you could bake it in 9 x 13 or do cupcakes and cut them in half.
- Frosting— You can buy ready made frosting or we have a great recipe for homemade frosting below. Just add a few drops of pink and a tiny drop of black to get that pinky grey color.
- Piping bag fitted with a #5 round tip (You can buy these at Michaels,Walmart or here on Amazon for about $1.)

Once your cake is cooled, cut a circle of cake the size of your jar. I used a round biscuit cutter, but you could also use another jar or a small glass.

Spoon some raspberry jam over the cake, covering the surface and making sure it reaches the edges of the jar.

Put some frosting in your piping bag. Hold the bag at a 90 degree angle and squiggle the frosting along the edges of the jar. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just squeeze and make a zig zag motion along the inside of the glass.

Download the FREE Halloween Brain Cupcakes Jar Labels

Download theFree Party Printable Tags here:

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We hope you are disgusted by these in a good way. Enjoy your Halloween!!

Brain Cupcakes in a Jar Recipe

These creepy Brain Cupcakes in a Jar treats make the perfect Halloween party food! Great dessert recipe idea for a zombie or Halloween party.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Active Time20 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Yield: 14

Author: Amy Locurto

Ingredients

CAKE

1 box Strawberry Cake Mix
1 cup water
¼ cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
1 cup Seedless Raspberry Jam

FROSTING

1 stick Butter room temperature
8 oz. Cream Cheese room temperature
2 ½ cups Powdered Sugar sifted
Black Food Coloring Gel
Pink Food Coloring

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Fill muffin tins with cupcake liners.
In a mixer blend cake mix, water, oil and eggs for a few minutes.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of cake batter.
Bake 19-23 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, your cake is done. Cool 10-15 minutes.
Make frosting by whipping butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy.
Add one drop of black food coloring and 1-2 drops of pink food coloring. Keep adding drops until you get a yucky grayish pink color of brains.
Assemble your brains in a jar cake by placing a cupcake inside of a half pint mason jar.
A a large spoonful of raspberry jam over the cake, covering the surface and making sure it reaches the edges of the jar.
Put some frosting in a piping bag with a #5 round tip Hold the bag at a 90 degree angle and squiggle the frosting along the edges of the jar. It doesn't have to be perfect, just squeeze and make a zig zag motion along the inside of the glass.
Cut small pieces of another cupcake and place in the center of the "brain frosting".
Holding the piping bag at a 90 degree angle again, loosely squeeze frosting all over the top of the cake.
Place lid on the jar and add the Brains in a Jar Printable Tags and serve.

Plan To Make This?Please share if you do. Mention @LivingLocurto or tag #LivingLocurto on Instagram. We'd love to see!

Recipe Video

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, cupcakes, dessert, halloween

Calories: 394kcal

Nutrition

Kristan is a fun mom fromrural Arkansaswith an amazing talent for creating cute recipes along with humorous stories.Find her onConfessions of a Cookbook Queen,Twitter&Facebook.