Gory Shattered Glass Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cupcake tins with paper liners.

Blend cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Divide cake batter between the prepared cupcake tins.

Bake cupcakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely. Frost cupcakes with white frosting.

Make sugar glass: Mix water, corn syrup, white sugar, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer and boil sugar syrup, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), hard ball stage. Mixture will thicken as water evaporates. Once sugar reaches the desired temperature, quickly pour it onto a metal baking pan. Cool until completely hardened. Break into “shards” using a meat mallet.

Make edible blood: Mix together corn syrup and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly stir in water, adding more if necessary, until corn syrup mixture has thickened to the consistency of blood. Stir in red and blue food coloring.

Stab each frosted cupcake with a few shards of broken sugar glass. Drizzle on drops of edible blood to complete the effect.