Spooky Halloween Cake Recipes

As the spooky season is almost upon us, we thought we’d share some of our favourite halloween cake recipes – easy to make and perfect for parties for kids and adults alike!

1. Spiderweb Cake

With this simple halloween recipe, just make your favourite cake (or buy some in if you’re feeling lazy), ice if necessary and add cobwebs and spiders for a great effect.

For the spiders, just use black fondant icing and shape into spiders – a ball, an oval and 8 long legs works fine.

For the spider webs, simply microwave a packet of marshmallows (about 200g) in a suitable bowl for around 30 seconds. Once gooey but still lumpy, stir until smooth and allow to cool until you’re able to handle. Pinch off some marshmallow and pull out until it forms a strand then just drape over the cake. Continue to do this until you get your desired effect.

If you’re using multiple tiers and travelling with the cake then it’s definitely a good idea to use a Sturdy Cake Stacker!

2.  Eyeball Pops

This easy but effective recipe should only take around 45 mins (plus chilling) and looks great. You’ll be able to make 10 eyeball pops from the recipe below – we know you’ll probably want more though!

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz Madeira cake
• 100g Oreo cookies
• 100g bar milk chocolate, melted
• 200g bar white chocolate, melted
• A few Smarties and black / red icing pens, to decorate
• Wooden skewers
• Half a pumpkin / squash to display

Method:

1. Break up the Madeira cake and Oreos into a food processor, pour in the melted milk chocolate and blend to combine.
2. Tip the mixture into a bowl, then use your hands to roll into 10 walnut-sized balls and chill in a fridge for 2 hrs or until they’re really firm.
3. Once firm, push a skewer into each ball, then carefully spoon the white chocolate over the cake balls to cover completely. Stand the cake pops in the pumpkin/squash, then press a Smartie onto the surface whilst it’s still wet. Chill again until the white chocolate has set. Before serving, use the icing pens to add a pupil to each Smartie and wiggly red veins to the eyeballs.

3. Ghost Cakes

With this easy to make recipe you can make your own cakes or use shop bought ones to save time. A tasty, spooky treat for family and friends! Makes 12.

Ingredients:

• 12 ready made vanilla cupcakes or fairy cakes, or make your own
• 2 x 400g tins of apricot halves in light syrup, drained (save the syrup)
• 100g raspberry jam
• a little icing sugar, for dusting
• 500g pack of ready to roll white fondant icing
• black icing pen

Method:

1. Remove the cakes from their paper cases – if the tops are rounded, trim them with a serrated knife to make a flat surface. Flip the cakes over and arrange on a large board or cake stand. Brush the cakes all over with the syrup from the drained apricots, then place 1 tsp jam on top of each cake. Put an apricot half on top of the jam, rounded- side facing up.
2. Use a clean work surface or large board and dust with a little icing sugar. Roll out the icing to the thickness of a 50p piece – it’s easier to work with half the icing at a time, keeping the other half well wrapped so it doesn’t dry out. Use a 12cm fluted cookie cutter to stamp out 12 circles and, as soon as you cut each one, drape it over a cake. Draw on spooky faces using the black icing pen, then serve.
3. These can be made up to a day ahead but make sure you eat leftover cakes within 1 day – if they last that long!

4. Frankenstein Cupcakes

Another recipe where you can make your own cakes or use shop bought ones to decorate. Quick to make and a great effect. Makes 12.

Ingredients:

• 300g icing sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• green food colouring paste
• 36 mini marshmallows, 12 snipped in half (for the eyes)
• tube of black piping icing or gel

Method:

1. Either make your cupcakes to your favourite recipe or just open a pack of shop bought ones.
2. Using a small, sharp serrated knife, cut a semi-circle piece of cake from the left and right of each cake, to make stepped edges, level with the cupcake case. Next, make
 a widthways cut about 3cm from the top 
of the cake, about 1cm deep. Slice a 5mm piece off the surface of the cake to meet this cut, to make a flat, raised face and prominent forehead. Chill for 10 mins to firm the crumbs.
3. Mix the icing sugar, milk and green colouring to make a very thick icing that flows slowly from the spoon. Spoon 1 tbsp onto a cake and let it begin to spread 
itself over the cut shape. Ease it here and there with a palette knife to coat. Add marshmallow neck bolts and eyes. Repeat for each cupcake. Leave to set, then pipe on the faces and hair.

5. Daemon Donuts

Use shop bought ring donuts and simple confectionary to create terrifying daemon donuts! The recipe below will allow you to decorate 8 so remember to multiply the amounts if required.

Ingredients:

• 30g white chocolate buttons
• 25g milk chocolate
• teeth and lips sweets
• strawberry jam

Method:

1. Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Break up the milk chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over the water and allow to melt
2. Carefully pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag and cut off a small corner. Squeeze the chocolate onto the doughnut to create ‘hair’
3. Halve a white chocolate button for the eyes and use the melted chocolate to stick the eyes to the doughnut below/besides the hair. Add a dot of melted chocolate for pupils
4. Using melted chocolate stick the sweet teeth into the doughnut hole. Dribble strawberry jam down the teeth to give the effect of blood dribbling from the ‘mouth’. Terrifying!