Brownie Bottom Halloween Cupcakes

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350°F and place 24 cupcake liners into two cupcake pans. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon baking powder until combined.
3. In a large measuring cup, combine ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix with a fork right in the cup until well blended.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir with a spatula just until combined. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, prepare the 15.25-ounce white cake mix according to the package directions, then stir in orange food coloring until the batter reaches your desired shade (see Tips for the exact drops).
6. Use a small cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons) to drop brownie batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner.
7. Top the brownie layer with a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) of the orange cake batter.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then frost with buttercream and sprinkle with Halloween-themed sprinkles.
10. Enjoy your spooky brownie-bottom cupcakes!