Ghost Portrait Cupcakes

Spooky cupcakes that look like edible works of art.

I’ve seen ghosts in frames popping up everywhere this Halloween and I couldn’t resist turning the trend into cupcakes. These Ghost Portrait Cupcakes are spooky, sweet, and a little bit fancy, with a black buttercream background, white buttercream ghosts, and a shimmering gold frame. The glossy finish from the clear piping gel makes them even more magical. They’re moody, elegant, and perfect for Halloween.

The Ghost Portrait Cupcakes Design

These cupcakes are made using my chocolate cupcakes and my  basic buttercream.  The surface is smoothed using a palette knife or spatula to give a clean, even canvas for the design and each ghost is created with a swipe of white buttercream. A shell border is piped around each cupcake and dusted with gold lustre dust, giving it a beautiful, vintage picture frame effect. To finish, a small amount of clear piping gel is added to the centre, giving the cupcakes their glossy, “framed glass” look. I made my piping gel from scratch using gelatin sheets and glucose syrup, it’s quick to make and sets beautifully clear. You can find my full tutorial here: Easy Clear Piping Gel Recipe.

Why You’ll Love These Ghost Portrait Cupcakes

• On-trend “ghost in a frame” design. Inspired by the viral ghost art trend.

• Simple piping and palette-knife techniques. No fondant or chocolate needed.

• Stand out design. The clear piping gel adds a unique, glassy finish.

• Make-ahead friendly. You can make these the day before needed.

• Ideal for Halloween dessert tables or as a showstopper bake.

Things I Used to Make My Ghost Portrait Cupcakes

• Chocolate Cupcakes – A soft, rich base works perfectly for this design. You can use your favourite chocolate cupcake recipe or one from my recipe section.

• Basic Buttercream – I used my go-to Basic Buttercream recipe. Scoop out 1 cup of plain white buttercream for the ghosts and to the remaining buttercream, add the cocoa powder and cream. Next tint it black with gel colour for the background and frame. (If you already have chocolate buttercream made, whip up a small batch of plain white buttercream for the ghosts.)

• Black Food Gel – Use a concentrated black gel colour to deepen the chocolate buttercream, you can follow my [Guide to Colouring Buttercream] for tips on achieving a true jet black shade. I also recommend checking out my [Microwave Method] post, it’s the easiest way to reach rich, dark tones without affecting the flavour.

• White Food Gel – For the ghosts (Optional) I like to add a little white food gel to my buttercream when i’m making things that should be bright white

• Piping Tip 2A – To pipe the oval background.

• Piping Tip 18 – To pipe the shell border (a closed star tip gives that ornate, framed look).

• Palette Knife or Small Metal Spatula – For smoothing the background and shaping the ghosts.

• Gold Lustre Dust – To create the metallic frame effect (I used Sprinks Gold).

• Small Decorating Brush – For gently dusting the gold lustre onto chilled buttercream.

• Cocktail Sticks – To add the ghost eyes.

• Clear Piping Gel – For the glossy, glass-like finish (Homemade Clear Piping Gel Recipe).

• Baking Tray (for the fridge) – Keeps cupcakes steady while chilling between steps.

Rachel Lindsay

Chief Resident Cake Baker