Creepy Cake Recipes for Halloween!

Oct. 24, 2007 — -- Country Living magazine has compiled a spooky spread of Halloween treats! Halloween is a great excuse to kick off the holiday baking season, so turn on the oven and prepare your sweet tooth for these creepy cake recipes!

CREEPY CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CAKE

Ingredients:

1 boxed cake mix (Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge or Devil's Food)

6 ounce of cream cheese, softened

2¼ cups confectioners' sugar

2¼ teaspoons cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Make Frosting:

Prepare boxed cake mix according to manufacturer's directions.

In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese using a mixer set on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add 1½ cups confectioners sugar along with the cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on low speed until well combined.

In a separate bowl, beat heavy cream with remaining ¾ cup of confectioners' sugar and the food coloring on medium-high speed until soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well combined.

Spread 1 cup frosting between the two layers and use the remaining frosting to ice the top and sides of the cake. Chill 30 minutes and proceed glaze step.

*Yields 3 cups frosting

Make Glaze:

Place chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring ½ cup of heavy cream to a boil, and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes. Gently stir, using a whisk, until smooth. Let sit for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the glaze thickens slightly.

Pour the glaze onto the center of the frosted cake and smooth out to the edges to allow the glaze to drip over the sides.

*Yields 1 cup glaze

SPOOKY CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

1½ cups (3 sticks) butter

¾ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

8 large eggs

1½ cups dark brown sugar

2 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ teaspoon salt

2¼ cups flour

¾ cup cocoa

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup apricot jam

1 cup pumpkin butter

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking pan (half sheet pan size – 18"x13") with parchment paper and lightly butter.

In a medium bowl, melt the butter and chocolate. In a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs, brown sugar, and 1½ cups granulated sugar together. Stir in 3 teaspoons vanilla, salt, melted chocolate mixture, flour and cocoa. Pour into the prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese using a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the remaining 2 eggs, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the cornstarch; beat until smooth and spread over the chocolate batter.

Combine jam and pumpkin butter in a small bowl. Drop spoonfuls onto cream cheese and draw swirls using a knife.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of pan comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool and punch out shapes using large Halloween-themed cutters.

*TIP: Make sure your cutters are deep enough to punch through both layers of the brownies.

CANDY CORN COOKIES

1 package of store-bought refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 c. flour

½ tsp. orange food coloring

½ lb. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

½ lb. white chocolate

Directions:

To make this treat, gradually knead flour and orange food coloring into refrigerated sugar-cookie dough. Use a triangle-shaped cutter; bake according to manufacturer's directions and let cool completely.

Melt chocolates over a double boiler in separate bowls. Dip the wide base of each cookie into melted dark chocolate, then dip the tips into melted white chocolate. Set on a parchment-lined baking pan and chill in freezer for 5 minutes.

FAKE IT, DON'T MAKE IT PUMPKIN PIE

1 good-quality store bought pumpkin pie

1 box refrigerated pie dough

Sugar

Flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or according to pie-dough manufacturer's instructions).

Unroll store-bought pie crust on a lightly floured work surface. Dip mini cookie cutters in flour and cut out shapes and lay them on a parchment-line baking sheet. Lightly brush each shape with water and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until golden; about 10 minutes.

After pie is baked, arrange the cooled cut outs around the pie's rim. No one will ever know!!