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Ghost Cake Recipe

Ghost Cake Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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For a perfect centerpiece at your next Halloween party, try making this cake. Guests will think it is more cute then scary with its decorative ghost on top!—Doree Tateoka, Salt Lake City, Utah

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Ghost Cake Recipe

Prep: 3 hours Bake: 30 min. + cooling

Yield: 8 Servings

180 30 210

Ingredients

1 package white cake mix (regular size)
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups water
FROSTING:
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder
1 cup shortening
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1 package (24 ounces) plain ready-to-use rolled fondant
Orange, black, red, brown and green paste food coloring
Additional clear vanilla extract

Directions

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 near 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. Yield: 8 servings.

Editor’s Note: Meringue powder and fondant are available from Wilton Industries. Call 1-800/794-5866 or visit www.wilton.com.

Nutritional Facts 1 slice equals 920 calories, 34 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 48 mg cholesterol, 397 mg sodium, 148 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Originally published as Ghost Cake in Taste of Home October/November 2008

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Reviewed on Sep. 16, 2010 by cacc98

I was looking for a Halloween decoration to put on cupcakes for my grandaughters dance class. This sounds simple and easy. I will be using homemade fondant.