Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Bake the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, so the batter is ready to go. Set the pan aside once preheated.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda, then whisk in the oil, water, and vanilla until smooth and uniform. Keep mixing just until no dry streaks remain.
- Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full with batter, keeping the tops even for uniform cupcakes. Use the full batter across the muffin pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the centers spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
Make and frost
- Beat the butter and cocoa powder until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy and spreadable. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed for an even frosting texture.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with a generous layer of cocoa frosting, pressing it to the edges so the turkey look holds. Add candy corn feathers and cookie heads to finish the decorations.
Notes
Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting so the fudgy cocoa topping doesn’t melt or slide. Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; freeze unfrosted cupcakes up to 2 months and thaw, then frost. For a lower-sugar option, use a powdered sugar blend labeled for reduced sugar in the frosting while keeping the same butter-to-powder ratio.