Crash Landing Witch Cake Food

WITCH CRASH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with black cupcake liners.
• Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put the milk in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until bubbling, about 1 minute. Whisk in the cocoa powder until dissolved. Whisk in the granulated sugar, oil, vanilla and egg until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture until combined.
• Divide the batter among the cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup per liner). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the frosting. Beat the butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light, fluffy and almost double in size, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla and beat until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Divide the frosting into 4 separate bowls. Color one bowl with purple gel food coloring, one bowl with orange gel food coloring, one bowl with neon green gel food coloring and one bowl with blue gel food coloring. Spoon into 4 separate piping bags fitted with a large round tip (we used an 808 tip).
• For the decorations: To make the witches' legs and boots, cut 2 purple and white striped paper straws, 2 green and white striped paper straws and 2 red and white striped paper straws into 4 pieces each (24 pieces total); these will be the legs. Form the chocolate chewy candies into boot shapes (microwave them for 10 seconds if they are too hard to form) and mold them over the straws.
• To make the witches' hats: Twist open the chocolate sandwich cookies so you have 12 circles. Scrape away the white frosting and save for another use. Spread a small amount of colored frosting into the center of each cookie and top with a milk chocolate candy.
• To decorate the cupcakes: Pipe purple frosting onto 3 cupcakes, orange frosting onto 3 cupcakes, green frosting onto 3 cupcakes and blue frosting onto the remaining 3 cupcakes. Place a hat offset on top of the frosting of each cupcake. Arrange some shredded wheat underneath each hat to mimic hair. Stick 2 legs into each cupcake opposite the hat so they are slightly slanted upward.

HALLOWEEN WITCH CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in water., Pour into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, salt and enough milk to reach desired consistency; remove 1-1/2 cups frosting and set aside. Tint remaining frosting with green gel food coloring until desired color is reached. Tint reserved frosting with black food coloring., If cake layers have rounded tops, trim with a serrated knife to make level. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake., For decoration, place melted candy coating in piping bag fitted with a small round tip; pipe witch hat shapes onto waxed paper. Let stand until set. Top cake with assorted sprinkles. Place black frosting in piping bag fitted with large star tip; pipe onto top of cake. Just before serving, gently stand 1 witch hat on top of cake. Adhere remaining witch hats and black pearls to sides of cake by gently pressing into frosting.