Halloween Cake Conjures Up A Witch's Brew!
by Samantha Mitchell
Just as the little ones thrill to the
ultimate night of make-believe, it's a thrill for us to see our Halloween
cakes inspire looks of such surprise and delight on their faces.
This cauldron cake, a design we created as
a spin off from the volcano cake, lends itself well to a cake decorator's
imagination. And if you're not sure what to add to the brew, ask the kids.
Then as a surprise, just before serving, add a little dry ice for magical
steam.
Cauldron Halloween Cake
What You'll Need
· Bundt pan or large, glass oven-safe bowl
· Dry ice: Check your Yellow Pages for a
distributor. Follow all safety precautions given to you. You can read them
now at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/vef/kids/dryice.php
· Sturdy, round cake board
· Orange or red foil gift-wrap to cover
cake board and miniature red and/orange lights (optional)
Bake a firm cake (such as butter, pound or
pumpkin) inside the greased and floured pan or bowl. If using glass, lower
oven temperature by 25°.
To make the removal of your cake from its
pan easier, here's one of the secrets guarded by the pros:
Professional Baker's Grease
Mix together equal parts flour, vegetable
shortening and vegetable oil. First cream shortening, and then add
vegetable oil and flour. Mix until well blended.
You will have a bowl of greasy paste that
is especially helpful with difficult pans such as bundt pans with their
deep crevices and indentations.
This delightfully greasy tip comes straight
from "Cake Decorating Made Easy!"
Here's what one reader wrote about our
Video Books:
"I highly recommend them to anyone who
enjoys baking, decorating and the feeling of accomplishment when everyone
crowds around your cakes for a closer look."
Joanne Robitaille, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
While your cake is baking, cover your cake
board with the foil. After the cake has cooled in its pan or bowl on a
wire rack, release it.
If necessary, level the bottom so it rests
evenly on your cake round.
If you used a glass bowl for baking your
cauldron cake, you may need to slice a couple inches off the bottom where
it narrows, so that the wide and heavier part of the cake has a strong
enough bottom.
Next, carve out a "well" wide
enough to hold a small juice glass or jelly jar. If you've used a bundt
pan, you already have the well, although you may need to widen it. Then
drop the glass gently down into the well.
Cover your Halloween cauldron cake with
smoothed, black butter cream (see tips below) Green gel icing could be
added on top for an eerie brew.
Now comes the fun part! Decorate the top of
the cake with marzipan or rolled butter cream figures that you've model or
created with gum paste molds. Or you could use store-bought candies that
depict your typical witch's brew ingredients - eye of newt and so forth.
Another decorating idea: Using a jelly roll
cake (flat, not rolled), cut out shapes you want, decorate with icing and
then plop onto your witch's brew.
Hint: String licorice makes great spider
legs!
For added drama, tuck miniature red and
orange lights around the base of the cake. This will bring a fiery
reflection to the foil-covered cake board.
Just before serving, put your witch's hat
on and tell the party guests you have a special cake brewing, but to make
the magic work, you need them to recite from Shakespeare: "Double,
double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble!"
Ask them to recite each verse louder than
the last (while you in the kitchen carefully and using a pair of tongs,
place a few cubes or chunks of the dry ice into the glass (that's in the
cake's well). Then carefully pour some hot water down into the glass over
the dry ice.
As the excitement reaches a crescendo
around the dining table, pour an ounce or two of water into the well and
carry your steaming cauldron cake out.
When the steam (and applause) fades, you
can rekindle it by stirring the dry ice or adding more hot water if
needed. Then it's time to serve your creepy Halloween cake. Be sure not to
let the children touch the dry ice!
And here's that tip for the black in your
cauldron: While we don't usually have to use enough to notice, food
coloring can be bitter. The amount needed to achieve black can make your
butter cream cauldron taste creepier than it looks!
Here's what you can do to keep that butter
cream tasting soft and sweet:
· Use gel coloring. It's concentrated, so
you won't need as much.
· Begin with dark chocolate butter cream,
and you'll need even less.
· Instead of black icing, cover the
cauldron cake with plain butter cream and then crushed, dark chocolate
cookies.
Happy Halloween Cake Making!
About the Author
If cake decorating sometimes feels more
like a trick than a treat, sign up for our free newsletter at Halloween
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