Haunted Graveyard Cake Food

GHOSTS IN THE GRAVEYARD CAKE

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. baking pan and an 8-in. square baking dish with foil, and grease the foil. Prepare brownie batter and bake according to package directions, using prepared pans. Cool on wire racks., Break pretzel rods into various sizes; dip into melted chocolate. Arrange into a tree shape on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet., Place melted white candy coating in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Outline three small ghosts on waxed paper. Fill in ghost outlines, adding a lollipop stick to each for support. Place unmelted chocolate chips on ghosts for eyes. Let dry completely., Using foil, lift brownies out of pans. Discard foil; place 8-in. square brownie on a large serving plate for graveyard. Spread chocolate frosting over top and sides., Cut remaining brownie into 3-in.x1-1/2-in. tombstone shapes. Combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa; sprinkle over tombstones. With black food coloring, tint vanilla frosting gray; decorate tombstones., Using toothpicks, insert three tombstones into graveyard. Insert tree into graveyard (support as needed with brownie scraps). Insert ghosts into graveyard; sprinkle with wafer crumbs for dirt and coconut for grass. Place remaining tombstones on a serving platter.

HAUNTED GRAVEYARD CAKE

Steps:

• To make the ghosts, heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼. Whip the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar a tbsp at a time and keep whisking for a couple of mins until the mixture is thick and resembles shaving foam. Gently spoon the mixture into a large freezer bag, then cut a 1.5cm hole in one of the corners. Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Carefully squeeze a small circle of whipped egg white out of the bag, pulling upwards as you do to make a ghost shape. Repeat until the mixture is used up - you should get about 15 ghosts. Bake for 1½ hrs until crisp. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Now make the cake. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and sugar into a large bowl, breaking up any clumps of sugar. Mix together the eggs, milk and oil in a measuring cup or bowl, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth. Grease and line a deep baking dish (20 x 30 x 5cm) with baking parchment. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 30 mins. Leave to cool, then turn out onto a serving plate. Alternatively, wrap well and store for up to 2 days.
• Finish decorating the cake: heat cream in a saucepan until just boiling. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir until the chocolate melts. Use a clean brush to paint a layer of chocolate over 7 rich tea finger biscuits, then set aside to cool. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the cake and smooth over with a knife. Whizz the chocolate cookies, or bash in a freezer bag with a rolling pin, until small crumbs form. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
• Place the white chocolate in a small bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Leave for 5 mins or until melted, then spoon into a small freezer bag. Wait for 10 mins so the mixture is not too runny, then cut a tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out 2 small blobs onto each ghost, place a silver ball on each to make eyes, then pipe out suitable words and shapes on the gravestones. Leave for 30 mins to set, then push the biscuit gravestones into the cake and arrange the ghosts around. To get the ghosts to 'fly', push a thin wire (you can get these from a florist shop - remember to remove before eating) into the bottom of the ghost, then place in the cake, hiding the wire behind a gravestone.

GRAVEYARD CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a saucepan, combine butter, water and cocoa; bring to a boil over medium heat. Add to flour mixture; beat well. Beat in sour cream and eggs. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes., Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine butter, milk and cocoa; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in sugar and vanilla. Pour over warm cake. Crumble chocolate cookies; sprinkle over frosting while still warm. Cool completely. , For tombstone, use icing to decorate vanilla cookies with words or faces; place on cake. For ghosts, make mounds of whipped topping; use icing to add eyes and mouths as desired. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, add pumpkins and gummy worms if desired.

HAUNTED GRAVEYARD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°. Grease 12-inch pizza pan. Stir powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla and egg in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in baking mix until soft dough forms. Pat dough in pan. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden. Cool completely.
• Stir food color into frosting; spread over cookie. Sprinkle crushed chocolate cookies on half of frosted cookie.
• Use pretzels to form fence and tree; add candy corn for leaves. Arrange cookie halves in frosting for tombstones. Flatten gumdrops; cut to form bat, moon and ghost and place on cookie. Add pumpkins and gummy worms.

HAUNTED-HOUSE CAKE

Steps:

• To assemble the cake: Secure one 11-inch cake layer to corresponding-size round foam board with a dab of chocolate buttercream. Spread 2 cups buttercream on top. Stack another 11-inch cake on top of buttercream, and frost as before. Top with remaining 11-inch cake. Spread 1 cup buttercream over top and sides of tier, scraping lightly to create a thin layer, or crumb coat, and refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 30 minutes. Spread 2 cups buttercream over entire tier until smooth.
• Repeat with 9-inch cake layers on second foam board, using 1 cup frosting between layers, 1/2 cup for crumb coat, and 1 cup for the final coat.
• Trim 5 dowels to height of 9-inch tier and 6 to height of 11-inch tier. Insert dowels in corresponding tiers in a circle, 2 1/2 inches from the edge of cake. Center 9-inch tier over 11-inch tier, pressing gently to secure. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (#806) with remaining buttercream. Pipe pearls around bottoms of tiers for a border, as shown below. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days before proceeding.)
• Make the steps: Fill a small bowl with cocoa powder. Cut torrone into 2-to 2 1/2-inch-long blocks. Cut toothpicks in half (1 for each block). Roll torrone in cocoa powder to coat. Insert toothpicks into torrone blocks, and push blocks into cake, starting from top of 9-inch tier and curving to bottom of 11-inch tier. Using a vegetable peeler, shave milk chocolate; sprinkle over tops of tiers.
• Finish the cake: Carefully transfer assembled cookie house to top of cake. Press cookie doors into cake in front of house. Decorate cake with cookie tree, tombstones, and candy cats, if desired. Press caretaker cutout onto top of cake, behind door. Arrange a flashlight behind cake to shine through door and windows.

HAUNTED GRAVEYARD PUDDING

Steps:

• Pour cold milk into a large bowl; add pudding mix and stir together; beat with a wire whisk for several minutes.
• Stir in half of the crushed Oreos.
• Spoon mixture into an oblong casserole dish or baking pan.
• Sprinkle top of pudding with the rest of the Oreo cookies.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until ready to serve.
• Just prior to serving, use the decorator icing or gel to write on the tops of the cookies some messages like"RIP" and stick them partway into the pudding, slightly bent.
• Make ghosts with the can of whipped cream, basically as a big blob, with 2 chocolate chips stuck in for the eyes.
• Place the candy pumpkins around on top of the crushed cookies, and sprinkle with jimmies to fill in the empty spots.
• Serve chilled.

GHOSTS IN THE GRAVEYARD

Steps:

• Crush the oreo cookies in a plastic bag using a rolling pin, or in a food processor.
• Pour milk into large bowl.
• Add pudding mixes.
• Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended.
• Let pudding stand 5 minutes.
• Gently stir in 1/2 each of the whipped topping and crushed cookies.
• Spoon into 13x9-inch dish; sprinkle with remaining crushed cookies to be the"dirt" of the graveyard.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour or until ready to serve.
• Decorate the remaining cookies with assorted icings to resemble tombstones,"RIP" and"BOO" are nice sayings; stand up cookies in top of dessert like graves.
• Add candies and plastic"scary" creatures, if using.
• Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls onto dessert to resemble ghosts.
• What works best is to make the cool-whip"ghosts" ahead on a cookie sheet and store them in the freezer until ready to use.
• That way they don't flop over.
• Two or three small, round dollups of cool-whip (like a snowman) make nice looking ghosts.
• You should be able to make 2 or 3 ghosts.
• Remove"ghosts" from the freezer and give them"eyes" and a"mouth" using the brown decorating icing.
• Place"ghosts" in the graveyard.
• Small plastic spiders, cobwebs, or mini monsters are a nice addition too.
• To serve, just scoop out into bowls.
• Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.