Halloween Cakes

Cakes



Black Magic Cake



Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or one 9x13 inch pan.
  2. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.
  3. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Fill and frost as desired.

Chocolate Web Cake



Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 1 1/3 cups shortening
  • 1 1/3 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and 1 1/2 cups of the white sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the shortening and 1-1/4 cup of the evaporated milk. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and beat for 2 minutes longer. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Drizzle 1 square of the melted chocolate in a spiral on top of each cake. Feather lines with a knife to form a web pattern.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove from pans and let cakes cool completely.
  4. To Make Filling: Combine the 2 squares unsweetened melted chocolate, 1 1/3 cups shortening, 1 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup evaporated milk and the vanilla together and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
  5. To Assemble Cake: Cut each cooled cake layer in half horizontally. Spread 1/4 of the filling between each layer making a 4 layer cake with a web design on top. Frost sides with the remaining filling.

Pumpkin Cake



Ingredients
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch bundt or tube pan.
  2. Cream oil, beaten eggs, pumpkin and vanilla together.
  3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. If desired, stir in some chopped nuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a plate and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Cup Cakes



Spider Cupcakes


Ingredients
  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
  • 1 pound black shoestring licorice
  • 1 (16 ounce) can white frosting
  • 48 pieces candy corn
  • 48 cinnamon red hot candies
  • 1/4 cup orange decorator sugar
Directions
  1. Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool completely.
  2. Cut licorice into 3 inch sections. Working with one or two cupcakes at a time, so the frosting doesn't set before decorating, frost the cupcakes with the white frosting. Insert licorice pieces into the outer edges of the cupcakes to make the legs of the spider, 3 legs on each side (4 takes up too much space). Place two pieces of candy corn on the front of the cupcake for fangs and use two red hots as eyes. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Batty Cupcakes



Ingredients
  • Cupcakes (baked from your favorite recipe)
  • Chocolate icing
  • White frosting
  • 2 M&M's Minis
  • Jujube candy
  • Thin Mint (we used Haviland brand)
  • Andes Creme de Menthe candy
Instructions
  1. Frost a cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with chocolate icing.
  2. For the bat's face, set two M&M's Minis in place for eyes and add a jujube candy nose.
  3. For the wings, cut a Thin Mint (we used Haviland brand) in two and set the halves in place as shown. Then cut an Andes Cr�me de Menthe candy in half diagonally and set the pieces in place for the bat's ears.
  4. Finally, add a white frosting mouth, fangs, and pupils.

Brain Cupcakes



Ingredients
  • 12 Cupcakes (Classic Cupcake Recipe)
  • Buttercream Frosting
  • Food Coloring
Instructions
  1. Bake a batch of classic cupcakes.
  2. Spread a coat of light orange icing (we stirred drops of yellow and pink food coloring, and just a touch of green, into 2 cups of buttercream frosting until we had a hue we liked) on a dozen cupcakes.
  3. Use a pastry bag fitted with a number 10 round tip to top them with fat zigzags. It works best to first pipe two zigzags down the middle and then fill in the sides.