A spooky and sweet ode to Summerween – Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkin Cupcakes! I spent a few weeks brainstorming this Halloween inspired summer design and am SO happy with how they turned out. Who knew maraschino cherries make the best mini jack-o’-lantern cupcake toppers? They also are a delicious treat to snack on all on their own!

These spooky Summerween cupcakes have:

A soft and zingy lemon cake base.
A delicious lemon curd filling that tastes just like lemon pie.
A not-too-sweet vanilla bean speckled buttercream.
Adorable carved pumpkin chocolate covered cherry toppers.

a lemon cupcake with a swirl of vanilla buttercream and topped with a chocolate covered cherry decorated to look like a carved pumpkin with more cupcakes in the background

These lemon cupcakes combine the best aspects of summer and fall into one dessert. They have a bright and zesty flavor profile reminiscent of lemon pie paired with a spooky cute Halloween design. They are an absolute treat to indulge in and showstopper to display!

Whether you want to celebrate Summerween, are looking for cute cupcake decorating ideas for the spooky season, or want to make cute chocolate covered cherry pumpkins for your Halloween party, each element of these Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkin Cupcakes has you covered!

A Lemon Curd Cupcakes cut in half with Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins on top

Recipes used for the Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkin Cupcakes:

To make these lemon curd filled cupcakes, I used a few different recipes:

The Lemon Curd Recipe: Lemon Curd by Flouring Kitchen

The Lemon Cupcake Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes by Cake Me Home Tonight

The Buttercream Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream by Cake Me Home Tonight

Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins: See below for details.

Lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd, topped with a swirl of vanilla buttercream, and decorated with a pumpkin decorated chocolate cherry with halloween decor in the background

Let’s make spooky lemon curd filled cupcakes for Halloween!

These zesty lemon curd filled cupcakes are a combination of a few delicious recipes than can be made at separate times to make the baking process more manageable.

The lemon curd can be made early and even stored in the freezer until needed.
The chocolate cherry pumpkins can be made a few days in advance.
In a pinch, make the buttercream a day before and whip it up the next day to bring it back to life.

Let me tell you, these cupcakes are worth the extra steps that go into making them – they are absolutely mouth-watering!

a glass bowl filled with lemon curd surrounded by lemons on a brown surface

Start with the lemon curd:

This lemon curd tastes JUST like lemon pie filling – it is absolutely incredible and the best lemon curd recipe I have tried yet. If you don’t use it all filling these cupcakes, it is delicious on its own, as a topping for pancakes, as a filling for lemon curd cookies, and freezes well too!

The recipe for lemon curd can be found on Flouring Kitchen’s website – linked here.

Tips for making the Lemon Curd:

Use a cooking thermometer to help determine cook time: I love using a cooking thermometer when making curd because it removes any question of whether it was cooked long enough. Once it reaches 170ºF (76ºC) it is safe to remove from the heat.
Cover the warm curd with plastic wrap: Don’t skip this step! If warm curd cools down with the top layer exposed to the air, a film can form on the surface. While the curd is warm, press down a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the exposed top layer.
Store leftover curd in the freezer: If you don’t plan to eat the leftover curd right away, pop it into an airtight container and store it in the freezer.

a muffin tin lined with black cupcake baking cups filled with lemon cupcake batter

lemon cupcakes baked in black baking cupcakes on a spiderweb design plate

Lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd baked in black cupcake liners on a grey marble spiderweb cheese board

Next, bake the lemon cupcakes:

As the lemon curd chills in the refrigerator, it is time to start baking the cupcakes! These lemon cupcakes are soft, zesty, and full of flavor. When paired with lemon curd and vanilla bean buttercream, the flavors compliment each other perfectly.

The Recipe: Follow the directions given on Cake Me Home Tonight’s blog for Lemon Cupcakes.
Use black cupcake liners: To add a spooky vibe, use black baking cups! I have also used these in white, and love the look they give and how well they remove from the cupcake so cleanly. Since these are a bit deeper, I only was able to fill 11 liners with the batter and did not get a full 12 cupcakes as the recipe calls for.
Do not over-bake: The cupcakes are done when a toothpick removed into the center comes out clean without any batter sticking to it, and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. This ensures a perfectly soft cupcake texture!

A close up of lemon cupcakes topped with vanilla bean buttercream with a cherry on top dipped in orange white chocolate and decorated to look like a pumpkin

Next, make the vanilla bean buttercream frosting:

With a lemon cake and lemon curd filling, I opted for a vanilla bean buttercream to allow the main zesty elements to shine and not have more lemon flavor overpowering the dessert. The vanilla notes balance out the flavor profile perfectly. I also love that this frosting isn’t too sweet!

The Recipe: Follow the directions given on Cake Me Home Tonight’s blog to make batch of vanilla buttercream frosting. I used about a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract. I love the look of the speckles and also the extra oomph of flavor.

Cherries dipped in orange colored white chocolate and decorated with dark chocolate to look like small carved pumpkins

How to Make the Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins:

These spooky chocolate covered maraschino cherries look just like carved pumpkins and are so much fun to decorate and just as tasty to eat. They are adorable to top cupcakes with and also are perfect to serve on their own at a Halloween party on a cute platter!

I ordered these cherries specifically because of how plump they are while being full of flavor and without any artificial dyes. I can’t recommend them enough!

Ingredients and tools needed:

Steps to make the chocolate covered cherry pumpkins:

Dry the cherries: Place the maraschino cherries on a few layers of paper towels and lightly pat them dry as the chocolate will not adhere well if wet.
Melt the white chocolate: In a glass measuring cup, melt the white chocolate wafers in 30 second intervals with the microwave at half power to prevent scorching it.
Color the white chocolate: Mix in small amounts of orange oil-based food coloring to the white chocolate until you reach the desired color. Be sure to use oil-based colors. Water based will seize the chocolate and ruin it.

a small bottle of Colour Mill orange food coloring in front of a small bowl of melted white chocolate

a maraschino cherry being dipped into orange colored white chocolate

Dip the cherries in chocolate: Hold a dry cherry by the stem and dip it into the melted chocolate, ensuring you cover the hole at the top where the stem and cherry connect. Gently shake off excess chocolate and place the cherry on a piece of wax or parchment paper slightly angled up to dry.
Cover any exposed areas of the cherry: The cherry should be fully enclosed in chocolate or it may leak. You can double dip the cherries in the chocolate OR lift up the cherries and brush on a little extra chocolate to the exposed area underneath to seal them fully.
Melt the dark chocolate: In a glass measuring cup, melt the dark chocolate wafers and pour into a piping bag. Cut a very small corner off of the tip of the piping bag.
Create the carved pumpkin faces: Pipe two small dots for the eyes and one for the nose on the cherry. Use a toothpick to form the dots into triangles. Pipe a zigzag underneath the nose to create the mouth. Let dry.

chocolate dipped cherries being decorated with dark chocolate to make a carved pumpkin face

chocolate covered cherries being decorated with dark chocolate to make eyes and a mouth design to replicate a carved pumpkin

Video: Making the Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins:

Assemble and decorate the spooky chocolate covered cherry pumpkin cupcakes:

Make the lemon curd first, and allow it to fully cool and chill.
Next, bake the lemon cupcakes and allow them to cool.
Core the cupcakes with an apple corer, the back of a piping tip, or a small knife once they have fully cooled.
Fill the cupcakes with the lemon curd by using a piping bag or spoon.

lemon cupcakes being cored with an apple corer on top of a grey spiderweb plate

lemon cupcakes being filled with lemon buttercream on a spiderweb design plate

Prepare the vanilla buttercream. Using a Wilton 1M piping tip, pipe a swirl of frosting. Leave a small opening in the center to serve as a small divot for the cherry to rest in.
Dip the cherries in chocolate and decorate them to look like mini pumpkins following the steps above.
Add a chocolate covered cherry pumpkin to the top of each cupcake.
Store in the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature before enjoying to allow the frosting to soften a bit.

an overhead view of a lemon curd filled cupcake cut in half on a grey marble spiderweb cheeseboard surrounded by more cupcakes topped with chocolate covered cherry pumpkins

Is it just me or do spooky desserts simply taste better? I absolutely love that Summerween has caught on making the Halloween season able to be enjoyed for even more months out of the year!

To celebrate, make a batch of these Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkin Cupcakes. Your friends and family will love the spooky surprise and serotonin boost from the burst of Halloween vibes!

Happy spooky baking and almost-Halloween!

If you like this recipe, I think you’ll also love:

Video: Making the Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins

Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins

Recipe by AshleyCourse: DessertCuisine: American

Servings

cupcakes

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cooling time

Hours

Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkin Cupcakes taste just like lemon pie and are the cutest spooky sweet treat to bake for summer, fall, and Halloween!

Ingredients

Recipes for the Cupcakes:
1 batch Lemon Curd by Flouring Kitchen
1 batch Lemon Cupcakes by Cake Me Home Tonight
1 batch Vanilla Buttercream by Cake Me Home Tonight
For the Chocolate Covered Cherry Pumpkins:
Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries With Stems
White and dark chocolate melting wafers
Orange oil-based food coloring
Additional Tools:
Black baking cups
Apple corer
Wilton 1M piping tip and piping bags
Cooking thermometer (optional for the curd)
Toothpicks
Parchment or wax paper
Glass measuring cup

Directions

First, make the lemon curd:
Follow the directions to make one batch of Lemon Curd by Flouring Kitchen.
To help monitor the cooking time, use a cooking thermometer to see when the curd reaches 170ºF (76ºC) and can be removed from the heat.
Cover the curd with plastic wrap immediately after cooking to prevent a film from forming on the surface.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use (at least 1-2 hours). The curd freezes well if you wish to store extra or make it weeks/months in advance.
Next, bake the lemon cupcakes:
Follow the directions to make 1 batch of Lemon Cupcakes by Cake Me Home Tonight. Using these black cupcake liners, it yielded 11 cupcakes.
Fill the baking cups about 3/4 full and bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center removes cleanly. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Prepare the vanilla buttercream:
Follow the directions to make one batch of Vanilla Buttercream by Cake Me Home Tonight. I used vanilla bean paste to give the frosting an extra kick of vanilla.
Make the chocolate dipped cherry pumpkins:
Place the maraschino cherries on paper towels and lightly pat them dry.
Melt the white chocolate in a glass measuring cup in 30 second intervals with the microwave ar half power to prevent scorching it.
Add the orange oil-based food coloring to the white chocolate a little bit at a time until you reach the desired color.
Hold the cherry by the stem and dip it into the melted chocolate, ensuring you cover the hole at the top where the stem and cherry connect. Gently shake off excess chocolate and place the cherry on a piece of wax or parchment paper slightly angled up to dry.
After the chocolate has dried, you can double dip the cherries to make them a more vibrant orange and to cover any exposed areas of the cherry OR lift up the cherries and add a little extra chocolate to the exposed area underneath. The cherry should be fully enclosed in chocolate or it may leak.
Melt the dark chocolate in a glass measuring cup and pour it into a piping bag. Cut a very small corner off of the tip of the piping bag.
Carefully pipe 2 dots for the eyes and one for the nose on the cherry. Use a toothpick to form the dots into triangles.
Pipe a zigzag with the melted chocolate underneath the nose to create the mouth. Let dry.
Assemble and decorate the cupcakes:
Use an apple corer to remove a small portion of the center of the cupcake.
Pour the lemon curd into a piping bag and fill the center of each cupcake.
Fit a piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip, add the buttercream to the piping bag, and pipe a small swirl of frosting onto each cupcake, leaving a small opening in the center for the pumpkin.
Place a cherry pumpkin on to the top of each frosted cupcake. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator but let sit at room temperature before eating to let the frosting soften a bit.
Admire your work, and dig in!

Notes

Ensure the maraschino cherries are dry before dipping them and be sure to completely enrobe them with chocolate and not leave any areas of the cherry exposed.
Add about a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste to the buttercream instead of vanilla extract to add speckles and extra flavor.
Let cupcakes sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating to allow the frosting soften up a bit.

Pin for later!

If you make this dessert or have any questions, please leave a comment below! I absolutely love hearing when others are inspired to step into their kitchen and try out something new.

Happy Baking!

XOXO,