These are dedicated to my brother, Alex, who has an absolutely crippling fear of eyeballs.
I’m such a great older sister.
It may be hard to believe, but as I kid I really wanted to fit in. When a classmate came to school one day wearing a training bra, I was so green with envy that the next day I wore a swimsuit top and told everyone I was wearing a training bra. No, not creepy, weird or pathetic at all…
And when I overheard a boy complimenting my best friend’s hazel eyes, I realized I needed hazel eyes, so I told everyone they were hazel. They’re brown. Brown. There’s no way around their brownness, so I just lied and said in certain light they turned hazel. I was one crafty little loser, wasn’t I?
It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that fitting in was overrated and that I should just deal with my poopbrown eyes and not worry about what other people think of me. And thankfully, shortly after these incidents, I also retired my swimsuit top. Just sayin’. It’s just so much easier being yourself than to try to pretend to be someone — or something — you’re not. Poopbrown eyes and flatness included.
And even though my brother loves cupcakes, I know he’d refuse these simply because of the eyeball motif… and that’s okay. More for me!
Halloween desserts are typically so cutesy and while IÂ love that, I also love the creepier side of things, too. I don’t know how many brain-shaped Jell-O desserts or eyeball gummies I could eat, but I can appreciate the gore nonetheless. These are for you true, hardcore gore-fans out there and kids who aren’t ooged out by a little blood and guts. The reward for tolerating these creepy cupcakes is a big one: a moist and tender red velvet cupcake filled with sweet cherry pie filling and topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Now who wants some eyeballs?!
- 1 box red velvet cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box
- 1 small box cheesecake instant pudding mix
- About 1 cup cherry pie filling
- 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ stick butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp cream or milk
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- Red sparkle food gel
- Eyeball gumballs (or another eyeball candy)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with about 16 liners and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, prepare the cake mix according to package directions until smooth and combined. Stir in the pudding mix until incorporated.
- Evenly portion the batter among the muffin tins, filling about ¾ of the way full. Bake for approx. 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with light moist crumbs. Cool completely, then core the cupcake's centers out. For this, I use a small paring knife, insert the knife into the cupcake, and gently remove the center of it. Discard the center pieces.
- Using a small spoon, fill the cupcake cavities with the cherry pie filling, trying to get at least 2 cherries in the center of each cupcake. Set the cupcakes aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and cream with the paddle attachment for about 1-2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy. Pour the frosting into a piping bag attached with a large open-circle tip.
- Pipe the frosting high onto the cooled & filled cupcakes, ensuring you completely cover the center cavity. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Take your red sparkle gel and begin drawing squiggly lines up and down the sides of the cupcake, centering from the top point of the cupcake. Place an eyeball gumball onto the tippy top of the cupcake and serve!
These are SO gory and SO creepy from the outside, but no one will suspect the sinfully delicious yet sinister inside of gooey, gushy cherry pie filling! They’re a real delight to decorate and eat!
Hope you enjoyed!!
xo, Hayley
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
bahahahaaa you’re awesome-I love you loving yourself and terrorizing your brother 😛
these cupcakes are so creative and creepy but tasty!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
These are so freaking awesome. Your brother can give me his cupcakes :-).
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I think I like that last photo best. It’s like the cupcake is thinking “WTF happened?”
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
Oh man Hayley these are the perfect combo of cute, spooky, and sweet that I LOVE around Halloween! I am such a wimp when it comes to creepy things, but I love these cupcakes! 😀
Aaliyah says
I find them a little creepy but your cupcakes looks tasty too.. LOL
thedomesticrebel says
They are totally creepy, Aaliyah!
Marissa says
Hi! May I ask where you found your eyeballs???
Marissa says
May I ask where you found those eyeballs?? Awesome cupcakes!
thedomesticrebel says
Thanks so much Marissa! I found the eyeballs at Jo-Ann Fabric, but you can usually find similar candies at Target, Michael’s, Walmart, or Hobby Lobby!
Christina says
At first glance it’s creepy and will be sick at the stomach, but several minutes past, I want to taste it. Aha, so funny!
thedomesticrebel says
Haha, thanks Christina! They are kinda gross, but they taste really good!
Saki says
They look jummy!
thedomesticrebel says
Thanks Saki!
Jessica says
Where or what brand of eyeballs did you get it can’t find candy eyeballs that look like this anywhere. They all are plain white or have like skulls in them they don’t look like eyeballs. Theses are awesome
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Jessica! I don’t remember where exactly I got these particular eyeball candies, but try stores like Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Fabrics, or even stores like Target and Walmart in the Halloween section!