Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). This is an important first step to ensure that your cupcakes bake evenly and rise perfectly.
Line a cupcake tin with 18 cupcake liners. Choose fun Halloween-themed liners if you have them; they’ll add an extra festive touch.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree and water. Mix them together until you have a smooth consistency.
Next, add the chocolate cake mix to the pumpkin mixture. Beat the mixture for about 2 minutes until it’s well combined and fluffy. Make sure you’re using the right size cake mix!
Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full with the batter. This ensures that they have room to rise without overflowing.
Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You’ll know they’re done when they’re springy to the touch!
Once baked, cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. This will help them set properly and makes them easier to handle.
For the glaze, combine all of the dry ingredients: confectioners' sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk, mixing until smooth. If needed, add more milk, a little at a time, to achieve your desired consistency.
Place the chocolate sprinkles in a bowl. This will be used for dipping the cupcakes.
Using a spatula or butter knife, spread just under 1 teaspoon of the glaze over the top of each cupcake. Quickly dip each cupcake into the bowl of sprinkles so the glaze sticks.
Before the glaze dries, add the eyeball candy to the center of each cupcake, placing one or two on top.
To create the spider legs, poke holes into the sides of the cupcakes with a bamboo stick and insert the black string licorice. Make sure they’re positioned to resemble real spider legs!
These cupcakes can be made the night before. Store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh and delicious.
