Spooky Spider Cake

Name: Spooky Spider Cake
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: 18-20 servings.
Ingredients: CHOCOLATE CAKE:; 1 package chocolate cake mix (regular size); 1-1/2 cups water; 2 Nellie’s Free Range Eggs; WHITE CAKE:; 1 package white cake mix (regular size); 1-1/3 cups water; 2 Nellie’s Free Range Eggs; FROSTING:; 2 cups shortening; 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided; 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract; 2 pounds confectioners' sugar; 2 tablespoons meringue powder; Purple and black paste food coloring; 3/4 cup baking cocoa; 1/4 teaspoon light corn syrup; ASSEMBLY:; 2 wooden dowels (2 inches x 1/4 inch); 1 cardboard cake circle (6 inches); 16 wooden toothpicks; 8 black twist licorice ropes; 20 pieces candy corn

Get ready to wow the crowd with this appetizing arachnid. By using different frosting techniques and traditional Halloween candy, you too can create this fun creepy crawler! —Gina M. Feger, Louisville, Kentucky

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1 package chocolate cake mix (regular size)
1-1/2 cups water
2 Nellie’s Free Range Eggs
WHITE CAKE:
1 package white cake mix (regular size)
1-1/3 cups water
2 Nellie’s Free Range Eggs
FROSTING:
2 cups shortening
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
Purple and black paste food coloring
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon light corn syrup
ASSEMBLY:
2 wooden dowels (2 inches x 1/4 inch)
1 cardboard cake circle (6 inches)
16 wooden toothpicks
8 black twist licorice ropes
20 pieces candy corn

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the chocolate cake mix, water and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into the two halves of a greased and floured sports ball baking pan. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, beat the white cake mix, water and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool all cakes for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For frosting, using a heavy-duty stand mixer, combine the shortening, 1/4 cup water and vanilla. Combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder; beat into shortening mixture.
For base cake: Tint 2-1/4 cups frosting purple. Using a serrated knife, level tops of white cakes if necessary. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining tinted frosting over top and sides of cake.
Combine 3 cups frosting, cocoa and remaining water until smooth; tint black. Combine 1/4 cup black frosting and corn syrup. Using round tip #2 and black frosting with corn syrup, pipe webs and spiders around sides of cake.
With 3/4 cup white frosting and shell tip #18, pipe border along bottom edge of cake. Insert dowels into center of cake. Cut cardboard circle to measure 3-1/4 in.; place over cake.
For spider cake: Using a serrated knife, level the rounded side of one chocolate cake; attach to cake circle with a small amount of black frosting. Spread top with 1/3 cup black frosting; top with remaining chocolate cake.
Using grass tip #233 and black frosting, pipe hair over cake. With white frosting and round tip # 12, pipe eyes and teeth. Pipe pupils with round tip #2 and black frosting.
For legs, insert a toothpick into the ends of each licorice rope. Insert one end into side of spider; insert other end into top of purple cake. Garnish with candy corn.

Editor’s Note: Clear vanilla, meringue powder and the sports ball pan are available from Wilton Industries. Call 1-800/794-5866 or visit www.wilton.com. Use of a coupler ring will allow you to easily change pastry tips for different designs.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 608 calories, 25g fat (7g saturated fat), 42mg cholesterol, 378mg sodium, 92g carbohydrate (69g sugars, 1g fiber), 5g protein.

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

Reviews

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Average Rating:

celiacookin

Oct 25, 2009

This was a huge hit with my family and guests. I had some difficulty with the icing being too thick to spread, but after adding milk in small amounts, it was perfect.
xxcheerleader

Oct 10, 2009

this looks so cool and i would love to eat it again
KScales

Oct 2, 2009

We have modified the directions to be clearer about adding the second cake layer to the base cake. The directions should include: Tint 2-1/4 cups frosting purple. Using a serrated knife, level tops of white cakes if necessary. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining tinted frosting over top and sides of cake.We apologize for any confusion.Taste of Home Test Kitchen
ChefTC

Sep 30, 2009

This is a great recipe and I have made it several times. This is an honest mistak in which all humans make every know-and-again. Yes, she had forgotten to include the step to put the second layer cake on, but come on...lol...It is obvious...it's just common sense!! I mean..what else would you use the second layer cake for?!?
kelliwest

Sep 28, 2009

I made a similar cake for my daughter's Halloween party about 5 years ago and it has been the requested cake redux ever since. Instead of using chocolate cake for the body, I used red velvet cake and baked it in a Bundt pan. I made dark brown icing and filled the center of the cake with the icing prior to icing the rest of the cake, then covered the entire cake with brown tinted coconut. Chocolate licorice sticks were the legs, fruit leather became eyes, mouth, and tongue, and the whole cake was set on on a tray covered with brown and gray "pebbles" and tombstones in a graveyard. The kids love cutting into this gruesome blood red spider cake after a scary night of trick or treating!
ScottsdalePrincess

Nov 20, 2008

There has to be a typo in the directions for "base cake". The directions state to place 1 layer on a serving plate then spread frosting between layers and over top and sides. The recipe omits the (obvious) step that the second layer goes on top of the first.
piegram

Oct 23, 2008

A really neat cake. It is so ugly it is cute.