Happy Halloween & Blessèd Samhain!
Celebrate with Green Man Cupcakes
Halloween, Samhain, you know it, you love it. Why else would you be reading this? Ever since I was a little girl growing up on a dead-end road with no streetlights and an ominous name that still has people double-checking if they heard it correctly, I looked forward to dressing up and frolicking through the dark to show off my costume and beg neighbors for candy. They’re getting sick of it now, but I’ll only stop when they can catch me on foot.
It’s my assertion that Halloween should be fun, not scary, especially for children. For horror junkies, that’s fine. All in all, the dead are closer to us than they are throughout the year, but that’s just an excuse to throw a bigger party. Holidays like this are meant for celebrating life and honoring those who came before us, as well as defending yourself and yours from any negative forces that may also be lurking in the shadows. This applies to everything to performing rituals irresponsibly and drinking responsibly because that thin veil can only protect you from so much.
One of my favorite Halloween/Samhain traditions along with carving the jack-o-lantern, roasting its seeds, and returning to my true barn owl form for one night is baking Green Man Cupcakes. These are a variation on Silver RavenWolf’s recipe for Green Man Cake from her aptly named 1999 book, Halloween! RavenWolf is a divisive figure in the witchcraft and Wiccan communities, yet the recipes and crafts in this book are solid. If you pick up a used or library copy, use your own discretion with the historical or spell work sections. Otherwise, let’s keep it light!
Green Man Cupcakes
Ingredients
2 cupcake pans, holding 12 cupcakes each
cupcake wrappers
2 cooling racks
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of unsweetened butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp green extract, plus more for frosting
1 can of frosting (I can’t be bothered to make my own, but do you)
decorative sprinkles, candies, or edible glitter
Makes about 24 cupcakes; double the recipe if you’re serving a larger party, or just really like cupcakes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Line cupcake pans with wrappers, set aside.
Beat butter, sugar, and eggs with an electric mixer on medium until the batter is almost fluffy.
Melt unsweetened chocolate in a pan over a low heat; watch carefully, it can burn quickly. Let cool.
Add cooled chocolate and green food coloring to mixture, beat on low until combined, about 1 minute.
Combine flour and baking soda in a separate, smaller bowl.
Alternate adding dry mixture and sour cream to chocolate mixture, mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine.
Add boiling water to batter and mix again, until runny.
Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans and wipe drips from pan edges; fill any vacant cups with water.
Bake for 20 minutes, cool for 20 minutes. Decorate as you like when fully cooled.
And there it is! Though the Green Man is tucking in for his long sleep through the season, these cupcakes are a tasty way to honor another year that’s come and gone. Leave him a cupcake at your outdoor altar, or even just in a green space. In the past I’ve decorated my cakes with (washed) fall leaves and an antler or two. Cupcakes are much tidier than one large cake, and with individual cupcake carriers they’re less likely to go to waste. This year I’m using edible glitter in my frosting, which is also fun to use in spooky beverages. No metaphysical properties, it’s just pretty.
