Witch Cauldron Cake – how to create a stunning Halloween cauldron cake that appears similar to bubbling witches’ beer with green Ganache, black buttercream, and gummy candy. A brand new recipe from the author of this article, Whitney DePaoli.
Halloween is the time for Halloween-themed desserts, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it! I am looking forward to Halloween each year due to the fact that it always brings an inexplicably creative spirit and a never-ending source of inspiration, particularly in the realm of cake. This year, I’m all for Halloween and this Witch Cauldron Cake, which is bubbling with green eyes, candy ganache gummi worms, as well as Cotton confectionary “smoke.” It’s the ideal blend of spooky and cute.
The cake starts with a black buttercream icing. If you’ve tried coloring buttercream black but did not succeed (aka resulted in the result of a gray, soupy mess), I’ve put together my best tricks for you to follow below. After you’ve got the perfect black buttercream, the excitement of adding the bubbling gumball bubbles, green Ganache, and spooky candy will begin.
TIPS FOR PITCH BLACK BUTTERCREAM
When it comes to making black buttercream, it’s easy to imagine that you can begin with vanilla buttercream that is white and then add enough black food coloring gel to increase the darkness. However, it’s nearly impossible to tint a huge volume of vanilla buttercream in black without resulting in the result of a gray and runny mess. The key is to begin with chocolate buttercream since it’s much easier to transition from a brown shade to a black color.
I utilize American buttercream for decorating cakes, particularly for creating dark hues such as black. There’s something in American buttercream that allows it to retain color better than Swiss Meringue, in my opinion. However, I would suggest starting with chocolate buttercream and adding a couple of tablespoons of Americolor Super Black food coloring gel. This particular gel contains more pigment than other colors, which means it doesn’t need much to achieve an intense black color. Be aware that buttercream’s color will increase in hue the longer it is stored, so I suggest keeping your buttercream in a sealed container overnight. Once you’re prepared to utilize it, you bring it to room temp (if it’s not yet) and then whip it again with the stand mixer in order to return it to the frosting-like consistency.
If you’ve learned the technique to dye the buttercream in black, let’s see how you can decorate your Halloween cake with the highest standard:
HALLOWEEN CAULDRON CAKE
an instructional video created by Whitney DePaoli
SUPPLIES
For the Green Ganache:
- 1 cup of white chocolate chip
- 1/3 Cup heavy whipping cream
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- Metal or glass bowl
- Electric Green gel food color
For the Rest of the Cauldron Cake Assembly:
- A 6-inch round cake that’s been filled, crumb coated, and then chilled
- 4 to 5 Cups of buttercream, tinted using Super Food Colors. Black gel
- Turntable for Cake
- Smoother icing
- Spatula with an angle
- Small spoon to drip Ganache
- Green gumballs
- Eyeballs of candy, as well as worms, bones, and fingers
- The green cotton candy
MAKE THE GREEN GANACHE
I suggest making the Ganache before you’re ready to ice the cake. This is because it’s going to be ideal for drip consistency as well as temperature when you’re ready. Place 1 cup of White Chocolate Chips in the bowl of a metal or glass and place in a bowl to set aside. Add 1/3 cup of heavy Whipping Cream to a saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk it constantly until it begins to boil.
Take it off the stove immediately when you see the first indication of boiling. Pour it on top of the White Chocolate Chips and let it cool for approximately 15 seconds. Then, mix the mixture until it’s homogeneous in consistency and doesn’t contain any White Chocolate lumps. You may have to place the bowl over the burner while you whisk to warm it up while whisking it all up slowly.
After the Ganache is homogeneous and even, add some drops of green food coloring gel. Mix it until you’ve found the perfect shade that you can pour into your drip. I chose Americolor Electric Green as it was perfect for the green gumballs I added as bubbles to the cake.
FROST THE CAKE
While the Ganache cools and the cake is cooling, you can frost it using black buttercream. The cake that has been coated with a crumb on the turntable, and then add the buttercream in a thin layer on the surface of your cake before smoothing it using your spatula that is angled.
Then, you can add black buttercream to your cake’s sides. Smooth it with the icing smoother until your sides are straight and neat.
There will be a small crown of buttercream will develop around the edges of the cake when you smooth out the sides. To ensure that the advantages are sharp, make use of your spatula with an angled tip to smudge the buttercream upwards toward the middle of the cake.
After your silky black buttercream finish is finished, put the cake in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to set it up prior to moving on to your next stage.
DRIP THE CAKE WITH GREEN GANACHE
When the Ganache has reached room temperature, you’re now ready to drip it. Begin by adding a test drip to the cake in order to observe how far the bead flows naturally. If it goes through the entire cake and ends up pooling in the middle, it means that the Ganache is too hot and will require longer to cool. If the drip of the Ganache does not go very far, that indicates that the Ganache is too cold, and you can place it in the microwave for five to 10-second intervals until you get it back to ambient temperature. Once you’re satisfied with the way the Ganache drips into the cake, use a small spoon to drizzle it all across the cake.
After you’ve finished dripping the sides, apply Ganache on the center of your cake. Then smooth it using the back of your spoon until it reaches the edges of the drips. So you can fill the top in the cake without putting on too much Ganache (and causing excessive bubbles).
Place the cake back in the refrigerator for five minutes, allowing it to get a bit set before proceeding.
ADD THE HALLOWEEN CANDY
The Ganache is a bit firm but still sticky. Add the gumballs in green along the top of the cake. They will look similar to bubbles.
Then, think of a creative way to arrange the placement on the eyeballs of candy fingernails, gummy worms, and bones, putting them one at a time on top of your cake.
You could also put some eyes of candy (or whatever else you like!) onto the drips.
TOP WITH COTTON CANDY
The cotton candy must be added at the last minute, as it won’t stay in the fridge (condensation causes it to die!), and it’ll begin to shrink after around an hour. If you’re all set to go, put a piece of cotton candy in the color green on top to make it look like cauldron smoke. Be sure to tear the pieces apart to let them loose a little.
Now you have the perfect Halloween cake that’s a bit creepy and mostly adorable.
This cake theme can work with any kind of scary Halloween candy, so think about what you’d find inside the form of a witch’s drink and ensure it’s as candy. Happy Halloween and a season filled with scary desserts to all!