We’re halfway to Halloween with these Easy Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes!
Okay, a little less than halfway. I’m not that bad at math; I know I’m about a month off. But these claw mark cupcakes are giving me seriously spooky vibes even though it’s June.
Why are Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes the book-inspired recipe for When the Wolf Comes Home?
Main characters Jess and the kid she’s taking care of are chased by a werewolf throughout When the Wolf Comes Home. Carnage follows wherever this monster goes, and I really wanted a book-inspired recipe that paid homage to the wolf without being too gory.
Bloody claw mark cupcakes filled with bright red “blood” are about as gruesome as I get.
Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes are actually anisette cupcakes filled with strawberry jam.
There’s a FBI agent in When the Wolf Comes Home who downs Good & Plenty candies like they’re going out of style, and I wanted to recreate the sugary licorice flavor of those sweets.
Easy Bloody Claw Mark Decoration
I’m not a huge fan of cake decorating. After mixing up and baking a cake, one of the last things I want to do is decorate for hours on end.
Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes are probably the most extensive cake decoration I’ve done to date – and it really was pretty manageable.
I found some recipes online that called for fondant to make the claw marks on the cupcakes.
And I was like, Um, no. Hard pass.
Fondant is time-consuming, finicky, and it tastes awful.
Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes use a quick powdered sugar icing that hardens in the fridge and allows you to easily make claw marks with a tooth pick.
Smear a little strawberry jam “blood” in there, and you got yourself come creepy cupcakes.
Why some people (not me – keep reading) love Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes
You may remember from my Anisette Cookies post that I hate licorice, anise, anisette – anything from this family of flavors.
However, my husband loves it. He was happy to be my taste-tester through three – three!!! – test batches of Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes.
Mr Tart has declared these anisette and strawberry cupcakes to be delicious. And, even I have to admit that the cake itself isn’t too heavy on the anise extract. You definitely get a hit of that black licorice flavor, but it’s not too overpowering. The bright strawberry jam pairs really well with the anise.
The anisette icing is where the licorice flavor really kicks in. It’s intense. Licorice-lovers will gobble it up.
What do you serve with Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes?
Although the décor of Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes is spooky, the strawberry and anisette flavors scream summer. You could easily serve these cupcakes sans claw marks at your next summer BBQ after wolfing down some Firehouse Chicken Wings, Lobster Tortellini Pasta Salad, and Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak.
Desserts that would pair well with these flavors are Citrus Breeze Ice Cream and Peach Ice Cream, some Miami Vice Cookies, and, of course, Strawberry Pie.
You obviously want to trot out Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes in all their werewolf-y glory for Halloween. Serve them on a dessert buffet alongside Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread, Rocky Road Brownies, Apple Butter Crumble Bars, or Monster Cookies.
Big Bad Wolf Claw Cupcakes (Anisette Cupcakes with Strawberry Jam)
Ingredients
ANISETTE CUPCAKES INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp anise extract
- 2/3 cup milk, at room temperature
WOLF CLAW FILLING AND DECORATION INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp anise extract
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups seedless strawberry jam
- 1-2 drops red gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
ANISETTE CUPCAKE PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a 12-cavity cupcake tin with cupcake liners of your choice. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
ANISETTE CUPCAKE BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and anise extract until combined.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the wet ingredients, beating well in between additions and scraping down the bowl as necessary.
- Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake batter equally between the lined cupcake cavities.
- Bake anisette cupcakes at 350F for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove anisette cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling and decorating.
BIG BAD WOLF CLAW CUPCAKE FILLING INSTRUCTIONS
- If using food coloring, add the drops to the strawberry jam and stir until combined.
- When cupcakes are completely cool: use a cupcake corer (or a thin knife) to cut out the very center of a cupcake. Place the core aside for a moment, then fill the hole most of the way (but not completely!) with jam using a pastry bag or a spoon.
- Cut most of the core off so only the smooth top is left. Pop the core top back into the cupcake so it covers the jam filling. Press the core top lightly into the cupcake so the surface of the cupcake is as smooth and even as possible. Repeat coring-filling-topping process with each cupcake.
BIG BAD WOLF CLAW CUPCAKE DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, anise extract, and two tablespoons milk. You want the icing to be extremely thick and NOT pourable -- almost like melted marshmallow. Add the third tablespoon of milk in small increments to the bowl, whisking as you go, until you get the desired consistency. Set aside.
- Place a half-tablespoon of icing on a cupcake and smooth gently over the surface with a spoon or spatula until smooth. Repeat process with each cupcake. Place the iced cupcakes in the fridge for at least an hour to let the icing harden.
- Take one iced cupcake and use the larger end of a toothpick to draw a gash down the center of the icing. You want the gash to be pretty deep, but not deep enough that you cut into the cake underneath.
- Draw a few more lines around the center gash to make claw marks. Leave the gashes ragged – don’t try to clean them up!
- Take a fresh toothpick and dip it into the strawberry jam. Drag the jammy toothpick through the gashes to create a bloody look in each claw mark. Again, it’s okay if it’s a little messy. Repeat bloody claw process with remaining cupcakes.
- Serve Big Bad Wolf Cupcakes at room temperature, but store uneaten cupcakes in the fridge.
