Food & Party Planning Ideas

Don't Let Halloween Parties Frighten You

Cupcakes With Hidden Fillings Provide a Trick That's a Treat

Forget witches, ghosts and goblins! The real Halloween scare is having to provide treats for an at-school or at-home Halloween party. The challenges might seem endless due to varying tastes, the necessity of carrying through an appropriate theme and not wanting to send yet another plate of rice cereal treats to school with your children. But there really is an easy answer!

"Cupcakes are easy to make, easy to serve and easy to decorate," said Nancy Siler, consumer affairs manager of Wilton Enterprises and an expert on baking and cake decorating. "Most children love cupcakes, and that's especially true if they are decorated with a fun Halloween theme. Halloween is one of the most popular holidays for kids, and they love to eat food with ‘scary' decorations."

To make Halloween cupcakes all the more special, Wilton has developed a group of "trick" cupcakes with a special treat. Inside you'll bite into a surprise filling. New flavors and ideas include a Spiced-Pumpkin Cupcake with a Cinnamon Cream-Cheese Icing Center, a Milk-Chocolate Cupcake with a Peanut-Butter Candy Filling and a Rich Dark Chocolate Cupcake with an Orange Buttercream Center. All are designed to appeal to children's tastes and reflect the traditional flavors of the holiday.

The cupcakes are then decorated in a variety of Halloween designs, including a pumpkin, a witch, a mummy, a spider, a jack-o-lantern and wolfman.

"You should vary the cupcake flavors and decorations. For example, all of the spider cupcakes shouldn't be chocolate and peanut butter," Siler said. "That way each cupcake is a real surprise and a treat for the child. The element of surprise lies in trying to guess what kind you've picked. Anticipating the unexpected can be as much fun as actually eating these cupcakes."

Siler has other hints for parents who are planning to help with or contribute to an at-school Halloween party:

• Know the school's restrictions. Some schools don't allow certain types of decorations or themes (like witches), preferring to feature non-scary items like pumpkins and scarecrows, or some don't allow treats at all. Checking restrictions first is best.
• Carry your theme throughout the party. For example, a group of parents might dress in costume to match the decorations on the cupcakes. A parent in a witch costume hands out witch cupcakes or a parent in a mummy costume hands out the mummy cupcakes. To make the treats extra festive, bake the cupcakes in Wilton Halloween or Glowing Pumpkin Baking Cups.

Presentation is just as important as taste. Halloween is a visual holiday – don't just slap cookies on the plate and call it a party. Use your creativity to produce a visual delight that will make children's eyes light up.

Spiced-Pumpkin Cupcake with a Cinnamon Cream-Cheese Icing Center
Milk-Chocolate Cupcake with a Peanut-Butter Candy Filling
Rich Dark Chocolate Cupcake with an Orange Buttercream