Chocolate Cupcakes:

¾ cup Cocoa Powder

1 ½ cups Flour

1 ¼ cups Sugar

1 ½ tsp Baking Soda

¾ tsp Baking Powder

¾ tsp Salt

2 Large Eggs

¾ cup Warm Water

¾ cup Buttermilk

3 Tbsp. Canola Oil

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Halloween Buttercream:

¾ cup Salted Butter

3-4 cups Icing Sugar

1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Orange Food Coloring

To make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350° and grease or line muffin tins.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the lumps are gone, scraping the sides of the bowl.  Fill the muffin tins ¾ full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean.

To make the buttercream:

Whip butter in bowl of a stand mixer.  Gradually add icing sugar and vanilla until desired consistency is reached.  Beat in food coloring until desired color is reached.  If icing is too thick, add a teaspoon of cream at a time until it softens.