READY IN ABOUT 1½ hrs

Bloody Broken Glass Cupcakes

Read Reviews (36)

"I made made these cupcakes for my nephew's birthday and they turned out so creepy that I thought I would share them here for Halloween. I tried out a few different methods for sugar glass and included the method which produced the clearest glass for me." — Jai

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2, 12-cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners.
Blend cake mix, 1 cup water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Divide cake batter between lined cupcake tins.
Bake cupcakes in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely. Frost cupcakes with white frosting.
Make the sugar glass. Mix 2 cups water, 1 cup corn syrup, white sugar, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer and boil sugar syrup until temperature reaches 300 degrees (hard ball), stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken as water evaporates. When sugar reaches 300 degrees, quickly pour onto a metal baking pan. Cool until completely hardened. Break into "shards" using a meat mallet.
Make the edible blood. Mix together 1/2 cup corn syrup and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly stir in the 1/4 cup of water, adding more if necessary, until the corn syrup mixture has thickened to the consistency of blood. Stir in the red and blue food coloring.
Stab each frosted cupcake with a few shards of broken sugar glass. Drizzle on drops of "blood" to complete the effect.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 1 hr 20 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 31, 2011

I made these cupcakes for a bad Horror movie party I went to with friends. I thought this just fit the theme of bloody and ridiculous! I varied the cupcakes however: after I baked them, I cut cone shaped holes and filled them with cherry pie filling. I placed the little topper back on and iced the top of the cupcake. This made it so when you bit into the cupcake, it was also "bleeding" and blood filled. The cherry and dark chocolate flavor goes together well! The hardest part is making the "glass", which I had nooo experience with that type of cooking. After spending a long time at the stove (I also didn't have a candy thermometer) I was able to get the sugar mixture the right consistency. The glass effect is really creative! Also I had a hard time making the "blood" sauce the right consistency, so I just used red gel icing. I loved this recipe and enjoy the odd side of cupcake making ;)

—Maureen

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 21, 2012

5 stars for presentation. But it was a giant pain in the butt. I made the chocolate surprise cupcakes from this site (which are 5 stars) and used canned vanilla frosting to frost them. The glass took over an hour and a half and I ended up having to speed it up because I was running out of time (resulting in slightly brown tinted glass which is my fault not the recipes. Will not go through the effort again.

—HISTORYGIRL04

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44 Ratings

Oct 31, 2011

For people who are having problems with the glass, it's very important you have a candy thermometer. The sugar should be cooked on low, cooking it too fast or too hot will cause it to carmelize. I start on low and ramp it up to nearly medium over the course of an hour and my glass comes out nice and clear. It's a time commitment, but there's really no way to rush sugar. This a fun recipe that will get you kudos every time though!

—gravygoddess

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Nov 01, 2011

Five stars for presentation! Excellent for Halloween! I made Devil's food cupcakes from a mix and topped them with vanilla frosting. Only used this recipe for the glass and blood. The glass recipe is fantastic - don't change a thing! Boiled the mixture to 300* and poured it in a parchment lined jelly roll pan which ended up making the glass the perfect thickness. Let it cool, removed from the pan, covered with another piece of parchment and hit it with a hammer. It shattered like real glass!! As for the blood, I did not add any water at all and I'm glad I didn't as I think it would have been way too watery. The consistency is perfect without water. Also, only used one drop of blue color. For 12 cupcakes, I'll cut the glass and blood recipes in half next year as I have alot leftover. Update: Store in refrigerator. Otherwise, glass melts overnight and no longer looks good.

—Holly

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Feb 16, 2011

my 9 yr old can't wait for halloween to come around again so she can take these to school:) I only wish I had found them a few months ago! Thanks so much for the inspiration and recipe. I've tried out the glass already and it turned out perfect!

—lmh1632

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Nov 02, 2011

I am just begining to learn to cook and I bought a candy thermometer just for this recipe. When I made the glass it turned out perfect but I had way too much left over. So I cut the recipe in half and poured it in the center of the pan in an oval shape. It gave me more presentable "shards". And I tried making the blood 5 or 6 times and it never came out to the right color or consistency. It just wouldnt stick to the glass as it ran down and it did turn out too dark or even purple. I found the best thing was to just drop the red food coloring right on the glass it it comes out perfect! Instead of cupcakes I used frosten brownies and everyone liked them so much more!

—Ducky

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May 12, 2012

This is an awesome idea and so much easier than it looks. I halved the sugar glass recipe and added 1/2 tsp of almond extract before pouring it in the cake pan. Also, if you dont have a meat mallet a can of veggies works just as well. Just put the can in a plastic bag and hit the candy with the rim.

—Nessi

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Nov 11, 2011

LOOKED AWESOME!! Easy to make..but glass does take a little bit. Well worth it though! Did white and black cupcakes and worked well also!

—Stephanie85

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Nutrition

Calories
377 kcal
19%

Carbohydrates
74.6 g
24%

Cholesterol
26 mg
9%

Fat
9 g
14%

Fiber
0.2 g
< 1%

Protein
1.7 g
3%

Sodium
198 mg
8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Bloody Broken Glass Cupcakes

Serving Size: 1/24 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 377
Calories from Fat: 81

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g 14 %
Saturated Fat 1.6g 8 %
Cholesterol 26mg 9 %
Sodium 198mg 8 %
** Potassium 46mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 74.6g 24 %
Dietary Fiber 0.2g < 1 %
Protein 1.7g 3 %
Sugars 58.1g
** Vitamin A < 1 %
** Vitamin C < 1 %
** Calcium 6 %
** Iron 4 %
** Thiamin 6 %
** Niacin 5 %
** Vitamin B6 < 1 %
** Magnesium 1 %
** Folate 13 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.