Hidden Horror Black Widow Cake Recipes

BLACK MAGIC CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment and grease the parchment and the sides of the pans with oil.
• Stir together the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl and let sit to bloom for 5 minutes (this step intensifies the chocolate flavor in the cake).
• Whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the bloomed cocoa, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour the cocoa mixture into the sugar mixture and stir until smooth (the batter will be thin). Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the cakes bounce back when pressed in the middle and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans on a rack.
• For the filling and frosting: Heat the cream in a double boiler over low heat, whisking occasionally, until it begins to steam. Whisk in the cocoa powder, chocolate, espresso powder, vanilla and salt until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the butter until melted. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated. Let the frosting cool completely.
• To assemble: Put 1 cake, bottom-side up, on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of the frosting over the top but not all the way down the side. Top with the other cake, bottom-side up, and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
• For the spider web or mummy decoration: Microwave the marshmallows in a microwave-safe medium bowl until they swell and are soft enough to stir, about 1 minute. Let sit a few minutes until cool enough to touch. Spray your hands with cooking spray. For a spider web, pick up a tablespoon-sized blob of the melted marshmallow and stretch it over and around the cake; repeat so that the strings of marshmallow crisscross one another in many directions, and continue until you have what looks like a spider web. For a mummy, stretch the marshmallow so that all the strings on the top of the cake run in the same direction, leaving a small gap between strings for the mummy's eyes to peek out. Garnish with a candy spider or several candy spiders for the web cake or candy eyes for the mummy cake.

BLACK TRUFFLE GOUGERES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a saucepan, bring the milk, water, and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour and salt. Place back on low heat and gently cook while stirring to dry out the mixture a little bit.
• Place in a mixer with the paddle attachment. On low speed, incorporate the eggs one at a time. Finish with the Grana Padano, cayenne, truffle oil or salt, and chives.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with an open tip, pipe to the size of a quarter and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown.
• Serve warm as an elegant passed hors d'oeuvre.

HIDDEN HORROR BLACK WIDOW CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the chocolate cake according to the package directions in two 8-inch cake pans and let cool completely.
• Spray an 8-inch bowl with cooking spray. Line it with plastic wrap as neatly as possible and spray the wrap with cooking spray. Put in the freezer until very cold.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and spray with cooking spray. Microwave the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Cut off 1 inch from the chocolate ends of 8 biscuit sticks, so you have 8 short and 8 regular-size sticks total. In same-length pairs, dip the chocolate ends into the melted chocolate and lay them on the prepared baking sheet so that they overlap slightly in the shape of a V. Refrigerate until set.
• Stir the coconut oil into the remaining chocolate.
• Remove the prepared bowl from the freezer and brush the inside with 1/4 cup of the chocolate, then refreeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat 4 more times, each time making sure the chocolate goes all the way to the rim of the bowl and doesn't pool in the bottom. Freeze until solid, about 30 minutes.
• Put one cake layer in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs. Add the frosting and pulse until it just comes together. Form into a ball that is slightly flattened on the bottom where it will sit on the platter, and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and brush to coat with the chocolate mixture. Refreeze for 15 minutes, then repeat 2 more times. On the final time, affix the eyes to the ball in the shape of a horseshoe. Attach a small round piping tip (1S or 2) to the tube of red decorating icing, and outline each eye with icing.
• Fill the chocolate-lined bowl with the marshmallows. Top with the remaining cake layer and then flip it out onto a large serving platter. Remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate dome. Arrange the head so it touches the chocolate dome body. Drizzle the body with the remaining chocolate mixture and sprinkle with the chocolate sprinkles. Make a black widow marking by piping a red hourglass on the upper third of the body close to the head. Sprinkle it with red sanding sugar. Position 4 biscuit stick legs on each side of the body, making sure the 2 shorter ones go in the middle; gently push the legs into the dome about 1 inch.
• When ready to serve, heat the strawberry topping in a small saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Slowly pour it over the spider's body to reveal all the eggs inside. Then run, screaming for your life.