Ghost Bark Cake Recipes

MARSHMALLOW WEB GHOST CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease four 8-inch round cake pans and two 5-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer running, gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Stir in the vanilla. Beat until just combined. Do not over-mix.
• Beat the egg whites in a clean mixer bowl on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions.
• Place 2 cups of cake batter in 4 separate bowls. Tint the first bowl with the green food color, the second bowl with 1 tablespoon of the purple food color and the third bowl with the orange food color. Combine the cocoa and water in a small bowl, stirring well to create a paste, then add it to the fourth bowl of batter. Fold in the black food color and stir together well until the batter is dark and no streaks of white batter remain. Pour one color of batter into each of the prepared 8-inch pans.
• Tint the leftover batter with the remaining 1 tablespoon purple food color and place 1 cup of batter in each of the prepared 5-inch pans.
• Bake until the cakes spring back when pressed in the center, about 25 minutes for the 5-inch cake layers and 30 to 35 minutes for the 8-inch cake layers. Run a knife around the edges of the cakes and the pans and turn them out on wire racks to cool.
• For the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the confectioners' sugar and butter. Begin on low speed until crumbly, then increase to high and beat for 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again for another minute. If you find the buttercream is too stiff, you may add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is spreading consistency. Place about 2 cups of buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch piping tip; set aside for later use. Tint the remaining frosting with the black gel food color.
• Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife or a cake leveler. Cover each cake layer with a small amount of black frosting. Begin with the black chocolate cake layer on the bottom, followed by the purple, then the green and ending with the orange on top. Cover the entire cake with black frosting using an offset spatula. Cover a purple 5-inch cake layer with frosting and stack the second on top. Cover with frosting using an offset spatula. Refrigerate both cakes until the frosting is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Stack the 5-inch cake tier on top of the 8-inch cake.
• For the marshmallow web: Melt the marshmallows in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until they puff and lose their shape. Stir well until deflated. Let the marshmallow cool slightly. Dip fingers (or gloved hands for easy cleanup) into the marshmallow mixture and stretch until thin and web-like. Wrap the marshmallow around the cake. Repeat the process until the marshmallow web effect covers both tiers of the cake. Let stand until firm, about 10 minutes.
• For the assembly: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use the reserved bag of frosting to pipe a 2- to 3-inch mound of frosting. This will be a ghost body. Top with a second 1-inch mound of frosting for the ghost head. Repeat the piping process, varying the sizes of ghosts for visual interest, until you have about 20 ghosts. Add 2 black sugar pearls to each ghost face using a pair of kitchen-dedicated tweezers. Use a single black confetti sprinkle to create mouths on some of the ghosts. Transfer the pan to the freezer and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Use an offset spatula to transfer the ghosts to the edges of the cake.
• Bring the cake to room temperature before serving. Use kitchen-dedicated scissors to snip the firm marshmallow webbing before cutting into slices.

GHOSTLY CHOCOLATE-NUT BARK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, toss the walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts with the corn syrup until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until the nuts are toasted and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the nuts on the parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely, separating the nuts as they cool. Line the baking sheet with a clean sheet of parchment paper.
• In a double boiler or large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt 3 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate, stirring occasionally to evenly melt. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1 cup chocolate. Stir until almost melted, then set over the simmering water again. Continue stirring slowly and gently until just melted. Remove from the heat and add the nuts. Fold until evenly coated. Spread in a flat, even layer to the edges of the prepared baking sheet.
• Place 1 cup white chocolate in another heatproof bowl and set over the saucepan of barely simmering water. Melt very gently (do not overheat), stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining 1/2 cup white chocolate and stir until melted. Dollop onto the dark chocolate, then run a butter knife through the dollops to form ghostly streaks.
• Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Break bark into pieces and wrap in treat bags if desired.

GHOST CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour 2-1/4 cups batter into each of two greased and floured 6-in. round baking pans (discard remaining batter). Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. In a large bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, combine the shortening, water and vanilla. Beat in sugar mixture (mixture will be stiff)., Using a serrated knife, level tops of cakes. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread 1-1/2 cups frosting over top and sides of cake., Cut fondant block in half lengthwise so that one half is slightly larger than the other. Tint the larger half orange; set aside a small amount of orange fondant for pumpkins. Cover fondant with plastic wrap when not in use. On a clean work surface, roll out remaining orange fondant into a 14-in. circle. Slide an icing knife between fondant and work surface to loosen; transfer to cake. Smooth top and sides of cake. Trim any overlapping fondant with a pizza cutter., For ghost: Form a 2-1/4 in. tall cone from white fondant; attach to cake with additional vanilla. Roll a 1/2-in. cube of fondant into a 6-in. circle. Drape over cone. Tint a small amount of fondant black. Form three small dots; attach to face of ghost., For pumpkins, leaves and tendrils: Tint reserved orange fondant a darker shade of orange with red coloring. Using dark orange and/or white fondant, form five pumpkins; add imprint lines with a veining tool or toothpick. For stems, tint a very small amount of white fondant brown. Shape into stems; attach to pumpkins using vanilla. Tint a 1-in. cube of white fondant green. Roll out; cut five leaves with a 1-1/4-in. leaf-shaped cookie cutter. For tendrils, using a pizza cutter cut remaining portion into thin strips. Carefully wrap strips around toothpicks; set aside to dry., To finish cake: Carefully remove tendrils from toothpicks and attach to pumpkins using vanilla. Attach pumpkins and leaves to cake. Using shell pastry tip #18 and remaining frosting, pipe shell border along bottom edge of cake.

NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER GHOST BARK

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, cream cheese, honey and maple syrup with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir in corn flakes until combined. Spread into prepared pan, packing it in tightly by pressing down corn flake mixture with your hands.
• Melt semi-sweet chocolate. Pour melted chocolate over the bark, then spread to evenly cover the bark. Melt the white chocolate, then use to make the ghosts. Just spoon dollops (1 teaspoon for each small ghost, and 1 tablespoon for each large ghost) of white chocolate, about 1 inch apart, onto the semi-sweet chocolate. Use a toothpick or skewer to drag the white chocolate into ghost shapes.
• Transfer the bark to the fridge and chill 1 hour or until firm. Use a sharp knife to cut bark into irregular shapes. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

GHOST CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base of two 16cm (or smaller) sandwich tins and a 1.2L pudding basin. Mix the self-raising flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and beat in the golden syrup, eggs, oil and milk with an electric whisk, until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into the pudding basin until it is ¾ full, then divide the rest between the two sandwich tins and bake for 25-30 mins until the cakes are risen and firm to the touch. The sponge in the pudding basin may need longer depending on whether the basin is metal or ceramic. Cool for 10 mins before turning out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Meanwhile, to make the icing beat the butter until it is creamy, beat in the icing sugar a little at a time, beat in the cocoa powder and 2 tbsp water.
• Cut the pudding basin cake in half horizontally and sandwich it back together with a little icing. Put a round sponge on a cake board or plate, sandwich the next one on top with a little icing. Sandwich the pudding basin cake onto the top of the round cake. If the bottom cake sticks out beyond the bottom of the pudding basin cake then trim the top edge of the lower cake at an angle to make the sides flatter. Ice the outside of the cake with a thin layer of chocolate icing, using it all up.
• Roll the fondant out on a surface dusted with icing sugar to make a sheet shape that is big enough to cover the whole cake. Drape it carefully over the iced cake and press it on around the top to make your ghost, with ruffles around the edges, cutting off the excess round the base. Colour some of the excess icing black by kneading in the food colouring, or use the black fondant icing. Roll it out to a few mm thick. Cut out eyes and a mouth and stick them on.

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.

HOST OF GHOSTS

Steps:

• 1. Place the cake on the cake plate. Reserve 1 cup of frosting to make additional ghost figures. Using an offset spatula, fill the hole in the center of the cake with frosting and then spread frosting over the top and sides in a wavy pattern.
• 2. Add the reserved frosting to the decorating bag; snip off the tip of the bag to create a 1/8- to 1/4-inch opening.
• 3. Referring to the photo, pipe as many ghosts as you like onto and around the cake and into the eggcups. For each, apply pressure to squeeze out some frosting for a base, then lift the bag slowly, decreasing the pressure until the ghost is the desired size; stop the pressure and lift off the bag. Add 2 candy eyes to each ghost.

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN GHOST CAKE

Steps:

• PREPARE cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Spoon evenly into 12 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Bake as directed on package for cupcakes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• BEAT cream cheese, butter and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
• Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.
• ARRANGE cupcakes on large serving platter or tray to resemble a ghost as shown in diagram (http://www.kraftfoods.com/pdf/GhostCupcake.pdf). Spread with frosting. Use decorating gel to outline the mouth on the cupcakes.
• Finely crush 3 of the cookies; sprinkle inside mouth.
• Place remaining 2 cookies on cupcakes to resemble eyes.
• To make a bigger ghost, double the amount of cupcakes you make.
• Store in refrigerator.

GHOST "CAKE"

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Spoon evenly into 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Bake as directed on package for cupcakes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.
• Arrange cupcakes on large serving platter or tray to resemble a ghost as shown in diagram. Spread with frosting. Use decorating gel to outline the mouth on the cupcakes. Finely crush 3 of the cookies; sprinkle inside mouth. Place remaining 2 cookies on cupcakes to resemble eyes. Store in refrigerator.