Ghost Bark Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make the angel food cake batter according to package instructions. Place in the mini Bundt pan and bake according to package instructions.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, liqueur and vanilla until very smooth.
• Place the angel food cakes on a cooling rack set atop a sheet tray. Using a spoon, pour enough glaze over the top of the cakes to drip partly down the sides. Sprinkle with raw sugar to garnish. Allow the glaze to set about 30 minutes before removing the cakes from the rack to serve.
• Special equipment: 12 count mini Bundt pan.

Steps:

• For the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat six 6-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the flour, granulated sugar, cake mixes and salt. Whisk on low speed until combined. Add the sour cream, eggs and 2 cups of water. Mix on medium speed until just combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl; add the vanilla extract. Mix again until no streaks of the dry ingredients remain.
• Divide the batter into 3 bowls. Tint one bowl of batter with the neon green food color and tint a second bowl with the orange food color. Add the food color a little at a time until a bright hue is achieved. Leave the last bowl of batter plain (white).
• Divide the plain white cake batter among the prepared pans. Spoon a little green and orange batter into each pan and swirl the colors together with a skewer or butter knife. Bake the cakes until they are lightly browned and a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely. Level each cake layer using a serrated knife or a wire cake leveler.
• For the green vanilla buttercream: Cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar on low speed in the bowl of an electric mixer. When the mixture is combined, increase the speed to high and whip until light in color, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the vanilla extract. Beat again until the buttercream is light and fluffy, about another 3 minutes. Add milk or cream if the mixture is too thick to spread or pipe.
• Place 1/4 cup of the buttercream in a small bowl and cover with a damp towel. Tint the remaining buttercream with the neon green food color. Add a little at a time while beating until a vibrant hue is achieved. Drape a damp towel over the bowl so the buttercream doesn't dry out.
• Use the green buttercream to fill the cake layers and to apply a thin crumb coat to the outside of the cake. Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to even the buttercream. Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill until the buttercream is firm, about 15 minutes. When the crumb coat layer is well chilled, apply a second layer of green buttercream and smooth it using an offset spatula or bench scraper. Chill while you prepare the black chocolate drip topping.
• For the black chocolate drip: Place the candy melting wafers and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave at 100% power for 1 minute. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute longer. Gently whisk together until the mixture creates a smooth, glossy candy ganache. Let the mixture cool slightly.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Spoon the ganache over the cake, pooling it in the center of the top first, and then using the spoon to gently push some of the ganache over the edge to create a drip effect. Allow the cake to stand until the ganache is set, about 15 minutes at room temperature.
• For the rice puff ghosts: Use kitchen-dedicated scissors to trim the rice paper into roughly ghost-shaped pieces. Make varied shapes of ghosts with and without arms. Each rice paper round should yield about 2 ghosts, giving you at least 12 from all 6 wrappers.
• In a large saucepan or an electric skillet, heat the sunflower oil to 350 degrees F. Using tongs, place the rice paper ghosts in the oil. They will instantly puff, wrinkle and twist in the hot oil. Remove the puffs to paper towels to drain and cool completely, about 5 minutes.
• Dab a paint brush into the piping gel and dot it onto the head of the ghost puffs. Place the eyeballs on the rice paper. Allow the candy to set about 10 minutes before using to decorate the cake.
• Place the reserved white vanilla buttercream in a disposable piping bag. Use dots of buttercream on the backs of the ghosts to adhere them to the outside of the cake. Some of the ghosts will adhere without additional buttercream when placed on the black drip.
• Insert a wooden skewer into the top of the cake leaving about 2 inches sticking out from the top. Place a ghost puff on each side of the skewer standing upright. Use buttercream to anchor them together.

Steps:

• For the cake: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat one 9-inch round cake pan and one 9-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of each with parchment paper; lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl until the batter is completely combined, smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are a light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Meanwhile, beat the butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix the milk, vanilla and salt in a liquid measuring cup, then add it to the butter. Mix slowly on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until very smooth. Add half of the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape the bowl again with a rubber spatula. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on medium-low speed until fluffy and well combined, about 5 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup of the frosting to a small bowl and mix in black gel food coloring until very pigmented. Set both bowls of frosting aside at room temperature until ready to assemble the cake.
• For assembling: Once the cakes have cooled completely, place the square cake, domed-side down, in the center of a large cutting board or platter (this will be the body of the ghost). Place the round cake domed-side down and cut in half with a sharp knife into 2 half-moons. Place one half-moon above the square cake with the cut-side adjoining the body (this will be the head of the ghost). Repeat with the other half-moon below the body (this will be the bottom of the ghost from which two arms will be cut). Next, cut a scalloped edge of 3 curves, each about 2 inches wide, into the bottom of the ghost, keeping the cake scrap intact as one piece. Then cut two oval-shaped arms from that cake scrap. Place one arm on each side of the ghost's body. There should be minimal cake scraps left; enjoy or save for another use.
• Use a little white frosting to help adhere the head, bottom and arms to the body. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining white frosting, smoothing out the top with an offset spatula. Transfer the black frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round pastry tip; pipe two eyes and a mouth onto the ghost. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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.

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.