After watching Spirited away I couldn’t resist making these soot sprite cupcakes! They play a very small role in the movie but they’re so stinkin’ cute!!

These cupcakes are super easy to make and are absolutely delicious.

With the help of dark chocolate and black cocoa powder, these cupcakes have an intense chocolate flavor and most of their coloring is natural.

I do like to use a bit of black gel food coloring in the frosting to make it jet black, but you really don’t need much thanks to the dark chocolate and cocoa in the frosting.

What is a Soot Sprite?

Soot sprites (also known as Susuwatari which means “wandering soot”) are an imaginary sprite created by Hayao Miyazaki and drawn by Studio Ghibli.

These cute little sprites make appearances in both My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. In different versions of subtitles they’ve been referred to as “black soots,” “soot sprites” or “dust bunnies.”

Just like their name implies, they are tiny little creatures made of soot! They’re shown to be about the size of a tennis ball and are black and fuzzy.

Sometimes they extend long, thin limbs to complete different tasks but they usually hover in the air as they move around.

They make a squeaky sound when they’re excited and sadly they dissolve back into soot if they’re crushed.

Decorating These Soot Sprite Cupcakes

Now let’s get into how we decorate these adorable Spirited Away cupcakes.

I used a large grass tip (Wilton 234) to create their fuzzy little bodies.

I chose to use a large tip because it makes piping process quicker and easier. However, you can use a small grass tip too!

For our soot sprite eyes, I kept things simple and used some large candy eyes.

You could also make the eyes with fondant or even mini marshmallows! Don’t be afraid to get creative 🙂

I also topped the cupcakes with some colorful star sprinkles but they’re totally optional!

Substitutions and Swaps – Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes use quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have all of them on hand. Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered.

Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make:

• Chocolate Chips – You can use milk, dark or semi-sweet chocolate to make these chocolate cupcakes!
• Buttermilk – You can also use full fat yogurt, sour cream, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
• Instant Espresso or Coffee – This ingredient is optional, so if you hate coffee, you can omit it. However, you can’t really taste the coffee once the cupcakes are baked! I just like adding a bit of coffee because it enhances the chocolate flavor.
• All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten free flour blend or cake flour if that’s all you have on hand.
• Dark Cocoa Powder – I love using black cocoa powder and I order it Amazon! Hershey’s also makes a dark cocoa powder that is available in most large grocery stores.
• Vegetable Oil – You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe. Canola or sunflower oil would work great!
• Eggs – If you have an egg allergy you can use 2 flaxseed eggs or 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
• Vinegar – This recipe needs a bit of vinegar because it uses baking soda as a leavening agent. The vinegar activates the baking soda and helps the cupcakes rise. You can use white or apple cider vinegar.

Substitutions and Swaps – Black Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
• Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
• Dark Cocoa Powder – I love using black cocoa powder and I order it Amazon! Hershey’s also makes a dark cocoa powder that is available in most large grocery stores.
• Dark Chocolate – You can use milk, dark or semi-sweet chocolate to make this chocolate frosting, but dark chocolate will help give it the deepest color!
• Black Gel Food Coloring – I am a big fan of Americolor gel food coloring, but any type of gel food coloring will work. I don’t recommend using liquid food coloring as it doesn’t have as intense of a color.

Tips for Making the Best Soot Sprite Cupcakes

• Make your own buttermilk if you don’t any! Add 2 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 3/4 cup of whole milk.
• Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• Make your black frosting in advance! The color will deepen as it sits at room temperature.I like to make mine the night before I need it.
• Ingredients at room temp mix together better, so be sure you set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Mix your cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
• One batch of batter can also be used to make one 9×13-inch soot sprite sheet cake. Bake it at 325F for 33-38 minutes.
• Make these soot sprite cupcakes vegan or dairy free! Use your favorite type of dairy free milk to replace the buttermilk and heavy cream and use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter.

Making These Cupcakes in Advance

These soot sprite cupcakes can be made in advance! Just be sure to wait to add the candy eyes and stars or else the sprinkles can bleed.

If stored unfrosted in an airtight container, these cupcakes can last for:

• 2 days at room temperature
• Up to a week in the fridge
• Up to 3 months in the freezer

If you have extra buttercream you don’t use, it can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container or piping bag for up to 2 weeks.

Let Me Know What You Think

I’d love to hear what you think of these soot sprite cupcakes! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.

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