Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Stir until well blended and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated, and brown sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition and making sure the scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Then add the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, black food coloring, and vanilla and mix until well blended.

Begin to add the flour mixture to the cake batter, about 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the two mixtures are completely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and then spoon the cake batter into cupcake liners that have been placed in a cupcake pan.

Once the cupcake liners have been filled, place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

To make the frosting, mix together the cream cheese and butter in a medium sized bowl until completely blended. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and mix well. Divide this mixture in half and place half of it in a small bowl. This will be the frosting used to make the ghosts.

If you want to make the pumpkins, add the pumpkin puree, orange rind, vanilla extract, cinnamon, yellow food coloring, red food coloring, and the remaining 3 and 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar to the remaining frosting mixture in the medium sized bowl and mix until completely blended.

To frost the cupcakes with a pumpkin, fill a frosting bag equipped with a 13 mm plain circle tip with the orange frosting and pump out the frosting straight down onto the cupcake, lifting up slowly so that the frosting pools out to the side in a plump circle. Once the pumpkin has reached a height of about 2 or 3 inches stop pumping the frosting and push down slightly and then pull straight up to limit the trail of the frosting.

Then take a toothpick and make lines down the side of the pumpkin to give it ridges. For the finishing touch, cut 1/2 inch long piece of the green sour string candy and stick it in the top center of the pumpkin to give it a stem.

To frost the cupcakes with a ghost, fill a frosting bag equipped with a 13 mm plain circle tip with the white frosting and

pump out the frosting straight down onto the cupcake, lifting up slowly at first

so that the frosting pools out to the side in a plump circle to give the ghost a base, then pull up faster while pumping and then pull up and away and stop pumping the frosting. Use 2 chocolate sprinkles to give the ghost eyes. Continue frosting until all of the cupcakes have been decorated. Serve immediately and refrigerate any leftovers.