Spiderweb Cake Pops Food

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SPIDERWEB

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
• Whisk together boiling-hot water and cocoa in another bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
• Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through, until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
• Make decorations while cake layers cool:
• Trace a 9-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper, then draw a spiderweb inside circle. Next to web, draw a 2-to 3-inch spider. Turn drawings over onto a baking sheet.
• Melt chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring. Cool slightly, then transfer to pastry bag. Pipe chocolate onto web, beginning with spokes, and onto spider on parchment, then freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Make frosting:
• Put frosting ingredients in a heatproof large bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Beat with handheld mixer at low speed until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved. Continue to beat at high speed until thick and fluffy, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat frosting until cooled slightly, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• Assemble cake:
• Place a cake layer on a serving plate. Spread top with some of frosting. Top with another cake layer and spread with some of frosting, then top with final cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
• Cut off portion of parchment with spider and reserve. Invert web on parchment onto cake and carefully peel off paper. Peel off parchment from spider and put spider on web. Let cake stand at room temperature until chocolate decorations have softened.

HALLOWEEN CAKE POPS

Steps:

• Prepare and bake the cake according to the package directions for a 9-by-13-inch pan. Let cool completely.
• Break the cake into pieces and transfer to a food processor. Add the frosting and process until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 30 seconds. If the mixture doesn't come together, add more frosting 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds its shape.
• Using a 3/4-ounce scoop, form the mixture into about 46 balls and put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the orange candy melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted according to the package directions. Dip 1/2 inch of the tip of each of 46 lollipop sticks into the candy and then stick each tip halfway into a cake ball. (It's ok to use one color for this part.) Refrigerate the cake pops until completely chilled, about 1 hour.
• Microwave the orange candy again until melted and pour into a tall narrow glass. Dip 23 cake pops into the candy and let any excess run off. To make spider cake pops, place a jumbo black nonpareil on top and slightly above center of as many of the orange-dipped pops as you choose while the coating is still wet. Stick the orange-dipped pops--both the plain and nonpareil-topped ones--in a 9.8-by-11.8-inch Styrofoam block and let set completely.
• Meanwhile, place the black candy melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted according to the package directions. Pour the candy into a tall narrow glass. Dip the remaining 23 cake pops into the candy and let any excess run off. To make black sparkle cake pops, sprinkle as many of the black-dipped pops as you choose entirely with the black sanding sugar while the coating is still wet. To make black cake pops with orange nonpareils, sprinkle the remaining black-dipped pops with the small orange nonpareils while the coating is still wet. Stick the finished black-dipped pops in a second 9.8-by-11.8-inch Styrofoam block and let set completely.
• Microwave the black candy again if needed. Transfer to a small piping bag and cut a small piece off the end.
• To finish the spider cake pops, pipe a mound of black candy directly behind the jumbo black nonpareils. Pipe 4 legs on each side. Stick the finished pops back into the Styrofoam block and let set completely.
• To make orange spider web cake pops, hold each remaining plain orange-dipped cake pop over a sheet of parchment paper and pipe black zigzag stripes over the pops, letting the excess fall onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle with black sanding sugar while the piping is still wet. Stick the finished pops back into the Styrofoam block and let set completely.

APPLE SPIDER WEB POPS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat.
• Cut the apples lengthwise (stem to bottom) into 4 thick slices each. Remove any visible seeds and keep the core intact. The end slices will be rounded; cut a thin slice off so they lay flat. Poke a small hole in the bottom of each slice with a wooden ice-pop stick and push halfway into the apple.
• Combine the bittersweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power for 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add the white chocolate and remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil to another medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power for 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
• Dip half of the apple slices completely in the bittersweet chocolate, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Dip the remaining apple slices in the white chocolate. Let sit at room temperature so the chocolate thickens a bit, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer the leftover dark and white chocolate to 2 separate small resealable plastic bags and snip a small corner off each bag. Pipe 3 to 4 dark chocolate concentric circles on the white chocolate-dipped apples and visa-versa. Drag a toothpick through the circles, starting the center and working your way out to create a spider web design. Refrigerate until hardened, 15 to 20 minutes.

SPIDER CAKE POPS

Steps:

• For the cake pops: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the cake crumbs and frosting in a large bowl. Work the frosting into the crumbs with your hands until it forms a thick paste and can be easily rolled into balls.
• Roll into 12 balls and place on the prepared baking sheet using a 1-ounce ice-cream scoop. Freeze until almost solid, 20 to 30 minutes.
• For the decoration: Melt the black chocolate discs in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Put the sanding sugar into a bowl. Remove the cake pop balls from the freezer and insert a lollipop stick or straw into each. Dip a cake ball into the black chocolate and swirl to coat completely, allowing any excess to drip off. Sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Stand the cake pop, stick up, on the prepared baking sheet. Dip the ends of 8 licorice lengths into the black chocolate and attach to the cake pop to form the spider's legs. Repeat with the remaining cake balls.
• Use a toothpick to dab a tiny bit of black chocolate to adhere the candy eyes. Let set completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, milk, vanilla if using, and salt, and whip on low speed until incorporated. Turn the speed up to high and whip until the buttercream is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. If it's too wet, add a bit more confectioners' sugar. If it's too stiff, add a bit more butter.
• Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Rewhip cold buttercream before using it.

SPIDER'S WEB CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease three 20cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment. To make the cake, put the cocoa in a bowl, add 280ml boiling water and whisk until dissolved. Pour in the stout, mix, then set aside to cool.
• In a stand mixer or a large bowl using an electric hand whisk, beat together the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract until light and fluffy (about 5 mins). Add the eggs little by little, mixing until fully incorporated before adding more. Once all the egg has been added, spoon in the melted chocolate and mix to combine.
• In another bowl, mix the flour, bicarb and 1/2 tsp salt. Add this mixture to the butter mixture in three stages, alternating with the stout mixture (which will be very runny). Pour the batter equally between the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, put the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat with an electric hand whisk on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and has cooled down. Slowly add the butter 1 tbsp at a time while continuing to whisk. Once all the butter has been added, the mixture should look glossy and thick - if it doesn't, keep whisking until it does, or if the bowl still feels warm, chill for 10 mins before whisking again. Once ready, mix in the melted white chocolate.
• To assemble the cake, put one of the cake layers on a cake stand and top with a layer of buttercream. Repeat with the other two layers. Spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake, using a spatula or palette knife to smooth the sides. Chill for 1 hr or until the buttercream is firm (see tip, below).
• To decorate, melt the marshmallows in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and put to one side for a few mins until the mixture is cool enough to handle. Use your fingers to grab a small amount of the marshmallow and stretch it out to form long strands (dipping your fingers in vegetable or sunflower oil will help!) Drape the strands over the cake in a random pattern, so it's thoroughly covered. Create a spider using the sugar paste (roll two balls, one bigger than the other, for the body, and thin strands for the legs) and place on top of the cake. Will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.