31Days ofHalloween! Day30- Recipe: Skull Cakes, Glazes, Frostings & Molds

Want to make a special dessert for Halloween or Day of the Dead? All sorts of new seasonal molds have come out lately, especially for Halloween: cake molds, cookie molds, chocolate molds, ice cube molds, and some molds that can be used for multiple purposes. One of the "new" molds that I picked up a couple years ago is a skull mold for cakes. In this post I'm focusing on the cakes we make with that mold.

Red velvet cakes with cream cheese or whipped cream cheese frosting are our favorites for the skulls, they taste great and the colors are wonderful ; )  . Cake from preferred mixes, then hybrid recipes, are listed first; scratch recipes are last (frostings can vary, but i tend to use cream cheese or whipped cream frostings).

There are (at least) two good 3-D baking molds for "full sized" skulls available: Wilton and NordicWare. The Nordic Ware pan has a more complete skull shape, with the back of the skull being more rounded, but may be harder to find. Wilton also has a 3-D mini skull baking pan with molds for 4 complete smaller skulls which are great for baking or using as a press mold.
Prep baking mold (grease / lightly flour).
Fill with any standard cake recipe or mix.
Allow to cool and remove from mold pan, breaking the edge of the cake/pan border with a butter knife.
After the cake has cooled, cut the un-molded edges flat and spread some frosting thinly across both facing edges to "glue" together.
Gently frost the cake. Using the Wilton mold I tend to frost the base differently than the skull.
Then pipe decoration. You can use a small plastic food bag with a tiny corner snipped off for piping.

This is the cake we made this year. We had fun decorating it together ; )


Cake Box Mixes
Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake
Duncan Hines Classic Yellow

Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge
Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake 

Store Frosting
Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting


Hybrids ~> Scratch/Box Mix Cake Recipe 
1 ~18 oz red velvet OR devil's food cake mix
1 ~3.5 oz instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup vegetable oil
CHOICE -> choose one of the following: 1/2 cup warm water, 1tsp instant espresso dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water (allow to cool), OR 1/2 cup warm coffee

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prep baking pan (grease pan, this is a dense batter and is great for suspending extras in the batter).
Beat together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, and espresso mixture (about 2 minutes on medium with a mixer).
Baking
9 inch pan (this recipe is appropriate for 2  9" pans) - bake at 350°F ~30 minutes.
Cupcakes (this recipe is for ~24 cupcakes) - bake at 350°F for ~20 minutes

Hybrid ~> Scratch/Store Frosting
a couple options here...
-Cream Cheese Frosting - soften 1 8 oz package of cream cheese and blend with a 16 oz can of vanilla (or cream cheese ; ) frosting.
-Fluffy! - 8 oz of whipped cream (home or store bought) mixed with your choice of any 16 oz can of frosting.
-Flavor Enhancer - add ~1/2 tsp of extract of desired flavor to 16 oz can of frosting. Almond extract added to chocolate is wonderful! OR add 1/4 cup of Nutella or peanut butter (and 1 tsp of milk) to a cream cheese, vanilla, or chocolate frosting!

I use paste based colorants to color my frosting, so I don't make the frosting runny.

Scratch Cake Recipe - Red Velvet

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil / butter / or coconut oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp (1 oz) red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare (grease and flour) 3 - 8" round cake pans.
Sift together into a medium bowl~> flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt.
Beat together in a large bowl oil/butter, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar until thoroughly mixed. Add the dry flour  mixture and beat until smooth (~ 2 minutes with a mixer).
Pour batter equally into the 3 cake pans.
Bake ~30 minutes (check with toothpick test). Allow cakes to cool 5-10 minutes, turn out of pan onto plate and then onto cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.


Smooth Glaze Coatings
Chocolate Glaze                                         White Glaze

8 Tbs unsweetened cocoa                         8 Tbs hot water
2 Tbs melted butter                                   4 cups powdered sugar
8 Tbs hot water                                         3 Tbs meringue powder
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs meringue powder

~> To make the chocolate glaze, combine the melted butter, cocoa and hot water; thoroughly blend in the powdered sugar and vanilla. 
~> To make the white glaze, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and hot water; blend smooth.

The rest of the directions apply to both glazes.
Add just a little more hot water to get a thin, pourable glaze; the glaze will harden as it cools.
Put the cake on a wire rack over a tray or plate. If you have a 2 part cake mold, make sure you have already put the 2 halves together (toothpicks with frosting or a small amount of glaze will work), you won't have time to do this at this point or your glaze will cool! Pour the warm glaze gently over the skull, using the back of a spoon to smooth the glaze into the details (mouth, nose, eyes, etc.).
Let the glaze harden and gently place the cake onto the plate/ stand, using some glaze to secure the cake to the plate /stand.
This is a great smooth base, you can either stop here or add additional decorations over this glaze coating.


Scratch Frosting Recipes
Cream Cheese
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

In a bowl, thoroughly blend cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually add the powdered sugar while mixing. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Stable Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (stable at room temp and stiff)
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups heavy cream

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using mixer, mix on medium until smooth). While mixing slowly add the heavy cream, scraping the bowl occasionally while continuing to whip until cream holds a stiff peak.

Again, I use paste based colorants to color my frosting, so the frosting isn't runny. Make sure to set aside some frosting from your base color if you want to add any designs over the top.
If you have a 2 part cake mold, make sure you put the 2 halves securely together (toothpicks with frosting will work great) before you start frosting the cake!
To decorate smooth your base color over the entire skull, you can make the surface as smooth or textured as you like.

To add additional designs, first separate the remaining frosting into bowls and add desired colorants. Pipe the designs on to the base frosting.
If you aren't sure how you want to decorate your cake, I recommend a web search based on the type of design styles you like (don't restrict yourself to looking at cakes!). You can practice on wax or parchment paper first if you want more experience.


Enjoy! 

DeWyk

31 days of Halloween! Day14- Recipe: Meringue Bones!

I'm always amazed just how easy these are!

Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2+ tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment or a (very) clean paper bag. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt ‘til fluffy in medium bowl at high speed. Slowly beat in sugar. Add vanilla (or other flavoring). Place mix in pastry bag fitted with a medium plain piping tip to create 3" bone shapes on parchment or brown paper bag (I’ve also used a heavy Ziploc bag as a piping bag by cutting a small piece off of a lower corner). Bake 1 hour until set. Turn off oven, allow to dry in the oven 1 hour more. Be sure to store in airtight containers or they will absorb moisture and get sticky / soggy. 

Makes ~50 small finger-sized bones

I frequently make a variety of flavors of these by adding other flavors in place of the vanilla: almond, rum, chocolate, chocolate and a touch of cayenne, coffee, and citrus. 

Coffee or dark chocolate powder gives them a nice “antique” look.

large meringue skeleton

Enjoy! 

DeWyk

31 days of Halloween! Day8- Recipe: Popcorn Balls!

Since we chose s'mores over popcorn balls for our Storytelling Snacks, we decided we needed to post the popcorn ball recipes we use ASAP! I'll start with a basic recipe for a really good traditional popcorn ball base, but we have several variations on popcorn balls that we really love that I'll share also.

One easy "cheat" that I need to mention right up front is marshmallows! If you're having problems getting your popcorn balls to stick together or you want to whip up a batch really fast, marshmallows are a great short-cut, and some people prefer the marshmallow taste over the traditional taste. If you want to make it with marshmallows instead, you are mostly substituting marshmallows for the corn syrup (i'll post the honey option next year! :) . I haven't bothered to measure my marshmallows substitutions before (i will the next time i make and update) but I'd say increase the butter by ~1/2 (if you were making a batch that called for 1 stick of butter, make that about 1 1/2 sticks), remove the corn syrup completely from the recipe below, and add just over half a bag of marshmallows (the rest of those marshmallows can become s'mores! ; )

Caramel Popcorn Balls 

Ingredients
2 cups light corn syrup
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp salt
~6 quarts of popcorn (popped!)

Pop your popcorn first so it is ready! (in a large bowl)
Heat to simmering corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Bring to boil. Boil hard for 2 minutes.
Pour over popcorn and stir to coat popcorn. Allow to cool. Using wax paper or sandwich bags, form into balls.

Old-Fashioned Popcorn Balls ( + )

Basic Ingredients>:	* ( + ) Ingredients:
6 quarts popcorn, popped	1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar, packed	1/8 cup coarse salt (sea salt)
1 1/2 cup sugar	3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup	1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup water	1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp white vinegar	1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp table salt	1/4 cup chopped nuts (or seeds)
	1 cup toasted coconut (or hard cheese)

 

> Pop corn and have it ready in a large bowl. Using medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar, and salt. Bring mixture to a hard boil, stirring constantly. At 260°F (candy thermometer), remove mixture from heat.
*( + ) At this point you can choose to alter the "Old Fashioned" recipe by adding the butter and vanilla. > Stir in butter abd vanilla until completely incorporated, allowing caramel to cool slightly.
Drizzle caramel evenly over the popcorn.
* ( + ) Also drizzle the nuts and coconut over the popcorn.
> Allow the mixture to cool a couple minute, then use a large spoon to fold the caramel coating completely into the popcorn. With clean hands (prepped with sandwich bags, butter, or ice water) shape 3+inch popcorn balls, and place on parchment sheets to cool.

* ( + ) Set the popcorn balls aside to cool and combine chocolate chips, canola oil, and heavy cream in double boiler, stirring occasionally until melted and slightly shiny. Drizzle chocolate mixture over popcorn balls.
* ( + ) Sprinkle popcorn balls with a pinch of coarse salt. Allow to cool completely and serve.


I haven't tried this chef's recipe, but it is a different take on the popcorn balls I make and looks tasty and intriguing:

Caramel and Pumpkin Seed Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 1/2 cups un-popped Popcorn
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
• 2/3 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 cup toasted Pumpkin Seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 package giant Pretzel Sticks...nuts
• 12 ounce bag of White Chocolate Chips
• Orange Food Coloring

Procedure:

1. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a covered 4 quart saucepan, and heat over high heat. When oil is hot, add 1/2 cup of popping corn. Keep pan moving constantly. When corn stops popping, remove from heat.  Place popped corn in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all corn has been popped.
2. In a medium saucepan with a candy thermometer inserted, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Stir well and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir in condensed milk; reduce heat, simmer, stirring constantly, until thermometer reads 238 degrees F, then add vanilla.
3. Pour caramel over popped corn and toasted pumpkin seeds and stir to coat. Butter hands lightly and shape popcorn into balls about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.  Insert a giant pretzel stick at least an inch into each ball.
4. Place 3/4 of the white chocolate chips into a glass bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a rubber spatula. Put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again. Continue to heat and stir every 30 seconds until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately, add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it is completely smooth.  Stir in 3 drops of orange food coloring and mix until incorporated.
5. Dip each popcorn ball halfway into melted white chocolate and place chocolate side down on parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet to cool.

Enjoy! 

DeWyk

31 days of Halloween! Day5- Recipe: S'More Storytelling Snacks!

Crunchings and munchings are a very important part of the storytelling experience, but you want to make sure that you have the right snack for the right setting! We like to think of that as your "snacking niche" ; ) . Today I'm posting our favorite takes on

... S'Mores!

Probably the quintessential snack for October storytelling is s'mores. S'Mores can be made a lot of different ways, talking with friends we heard a lot of interesting variations. I'm going to share a few easy favorites: traditional s'mores, s'mores bars, s'mores crunch, and s'mores bark; but would love to hear more variations on this bonfire weather and storytelling treat.

Common must-have ingredients & some variations
~> Chocolate > Hershey's milk chocolate bar is the traditional campfire s'mores chocolate, but we've used a variety of chocolate bars. A favorite is dark chocolate (like Ghirardelli's caramel or Lindt's with orange peel) OR Nutella.
~> Marshmallows > Jet Puffed or Campfire are traditional campfire fare, but there are lots of options out there and home-made marshmallows on a dark chocolate bar are amazing! (I'll post a marshmallow recipe soon).
~> Cookie / Cracker > graham crackers (Honey Maid) are the traditional bed for the s'more but, again, there are lots of options: cinnamon grahams, granola bars, cookies (chocolate chip, chocolate, peanut butter, or waffle cookies etc.  : ) , and even home made graham crackers (link recipe).

Bonfire/ Traditional S'Mores: 

Chocolate Bars (Hershey's ~1.5 oz. size broken in halves)
Marshmallows (regular size)
Graham Crackers (Honey Maid- 1 full cracker per s'more)

1) Build a fire. 2) Prep your graham crackers and chocolate so you can immediately put the s'more together while the marshmallow is still hot (half of the graham cracker first, then the chocolate, with the other half of the graham cracker ready to go on top of the roasted marshmallow). 3) Roast marshmallow on a stick or tong to your preference, but at least melt-y. 4) Assemble and eat!

Simple Oven or Microwave S'Mores in Traditional-style for Indoors:

Chocolate Bars (Hershey's ~1.5 oz. size broken into ~ square halves)
Marshmallows (regular size)
Graham Crackers (Honey Maid- 1 full cracker per s'more)
Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Put graham crackers on a baking sheet (easier clean-up if you line it with aluminum foil). Place one square of chocolate onto each graham cracker, and put 1 marshmallow on top.
Watching closely, bake for ~3-6 minutes. Remove from oven when the marshmallow melts just a bit and put the second half of the graham cracker on top to complete your s'more!

Microwave: Put half a graham cracker on a microwave safe plate. Place a marshmallow on top of the graham cracker. Put it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Immediately put the chocolate and then the other half of the graham cracker on top of the marshmallow, completing your s'more!


Some variations on the traditional s'more that we love:
waffle (Belgian) cookies with Nutella and a roasted marshmallow;
peanut butter cookies with semi-sweet chocolate and a roasted marshmallow;
and traditional graham with dark chocolate orange and a roasted marshmallow.

S'Mores Bars

Ingredients 

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

3 cups crushed graham crackers, ~18 regular crackers

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

12 oz. chocolate chips or ~ 8 regular chocolate bars

3 1/4 cups chopped or miniature marshmallows

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat mixture. Mix in crushed graham crackers, flour, and salt. Save 1 cup of this crust mixture, spreading the rest across greased 13x9" baking pan. Spread the chocolate evenly over the crust; spread the marshmallows fairly evenly over the top. Scatter the saved cup of crust mixture over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown. Cool on rack and cut into bars.

Makes ~ 24.

S'Mores Crunch 

Ingredients 

8 cups of graham cereal (Cinnamon Grahams, Golden Grahams, etc.)

5-6 cups of chopped or miniature marshmallows

1 3/4 cups chocolate chips

1/4 cup light corn syrup

5 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

Grease (butter/margarine) 13x9 pan. Use large bowl to microwave 5 cups of the marshmallows, chocolate chips, corn syrup, and butter/margarine uncovered for 2 to 3 1/2  minutes (until melted), stirring every minute.
Stir vanilla into the mixture.
Pour mixture immediately into cereal and toss well to mix.
Use a greased (buttered) spoon back to press the mixture evenly into the 13x9 pan. If you'd like more marshmallows, scatter ~1 cup across the top. Allow to cool (~1hour) and cut.
Makes ~24

S'Mores Bark

Ingredients 

2 1/4 cups graham cracker, crushed (~20 graham crackers)

3 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 tsp coarse salt

3/4 cup butter, melted

~> all chocolates used are baking chocolates, chip or bar form

8 oz. milk chocolate, chips or chopped

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped

4 oz. dark chocolate, chips or chopped 

2 tsp light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream

2+ cups chopped or mini marshmallows

1 cup lightly salted nuts (3/4 cup whole, 1/4 chopped)

*optional 4 oz. white chocolate

*optional candy sprinkles or candy corn

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a 13x9" baking pan.

Mix together in large bowl graham crumbles, brown sugar, powdered milk, and salt. Melt butter, add to mixture and thoroughly mix. Press evenly into bottom of pan.

Bake 10-12 minutes until golden-brown. Set aside to cool completely.

Mix chocolate (all except the optional white chocolate), cream, vanilla, and corn syrup and melt together on low-heat in pyrex-type bowl or double boiler, stir frequently. After completely mixed allow to cool ~ 10 minutes. Mix in marshmallows and nuts.

Pour and spread the chocolate mixture over your prepared crust, making sure to spread out the marshmallows and nuts. Scatter the chopped nuts across the top. *At this point you can add candy sprinkles or candy corn (peanuts with candy corn is a fun combination) and melt and drizzle the optional white chocolate across the top.

Refrigerate until set (~5 hours). Cut or break into irregular shapes and serve!
 ~> Sometimes I put a drizzle coat (web) of the chocolates on the reverse side of the crust after I break the pieces up for serving.

Enjoy! 

DeWyk