Effat Rahman’s “Corpse Bride” Cupcakes

I love October for its chilly weather, baked goods, and spooky movies. I chose to base my cupcakes off Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride because I could tell its story through each component of the cupcake.

The film takes place in a gloomy, grey Victorian-era city in England, so my cupcakes are inspired by a drink called London Fog. A London Fog is an Earl Grey tea latte with vanilla syrup. Accordingly, my cupcake is an Earl Grey-infused Victoria sponge cake. Throughout the film, we get to discover the colorful and ironically lively “Land of the Dead,” which is why I filled the cupcakes with blueberry-lemon jam filling, which is hidden underneath the “London Fog” and has a bright flavor to contrast the softer bergamot from the Earl Grey.

To top the cupcakes, I dyed whipped cream to a shade of light blue to match the protagonist, Emily, who is a mourning dead bride. For decorations, I topped the cupcakes with blue paper flowers that represent Emily’s bridal wreath and sugar pearls that pay homage to her wedding dress. I also put paper butterflies on each cupcake, which represent the last scene of the film where Emily turns into butterflies after discovering inner peace and acceptance.

—By Effat Rahman