As the ghouls are gearing up for Halloween night, I wanted to share a recipe with you that is so sinful, it’s terrifying.
A couple years ago, I made this Death by Chocolate cake with a masterpiece-level white chocolate skull for decoration. Of course, no one actually wanted to cut into it! So, I suggest skipping straight to baking this devilishly rich chocolate cake.
I’ve included some quick and easy decorating ideas to coordinate with the occasion and also shared some of my skull design secrets in case you ever want to take on a sculpting project. No matter what design you come up with, this is the perfect cake to wrap up Spooky Season.
Simple Decorating Ideas for Halloween
Dye the icing ganache vampire black for Halloween
Place a large knife sticking out of the top of the cake. Drizzle raspberry jam from the knife, down the edge of the cake to resemble blood
Recreate my look using plastic Halloween skull and bone props. Once the ganache icing is set, melt dark chocolate to glue the bones to the side of the cake. Place plastic skull on top
Secrets Behind My White Chocolate Skull
The skull was hand-sculpted out of white modeling chocolate
I went with white chocolate since it naturally has an off-white bone color
I used a lot of plastic Halloween skulls for inspiration
I carved the face before placing it on the rest of the skull
I etched fracture lines into the modeling chocolate to give it a more realistic look
Once done, I brushed fracture lines with food coloring powder to add definition
I decided to take it a step further by adding some vampire teeth as a last-minute design decision
Secrets Behind My White Chocolate Bones
Instead of modeling chocolate I carved straight into white chocolate rectangles
I carefully used a vegetable peeler to get the uneven bone look
I smoothed out ridges with my fingers
The chocolate broke! But I think the key to being a pastry chef is knowing how to hide mistakes. This is a hill I will die on.
I emphasized the bone breaks to make it part of my design. I highlight the edges with food coloring power and purposely placed the bones on the cake to look cracked
Once they were done, I adhered the bones with melted chocolate
This is a cake design I’m truly proud of. I think Halloween is the coolest season to design for as a pastry chef. So, I’m excited to see what ideas pop into my head next Halloween. And even more excited to see what ideas pop in your head to decorate this delicious recipe! Please make sure to tag your cake so I can see it:
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Also, if you could share A Baker Abroad with a friend who loves food & travel, that would really help me grow.
Happy Baking and Happy Halloween!
Melly