Tarantula Cake

In honor of the traditional Cake Walk that occurs during one or two Halloween Carnivals this time of year, I wanted to donate a cake for those kids who enjoy both the spooky and sweet part of this holiday. I had a lot of fun creating this cake. I basically took a photo of a Tarantula and went to work. I admit, it still looks animated more than realistic but hey, it was my first try. My nephew actually thought I was creating one of the spiders that is on the game Mind Craft, but I needed to put a few more red eyes. This was all for fun really, so I thought I would tell you all how I did it.

 Hope you enjoy!

 

You can use any cake recipe you'd like and make it in a bunt pan. I like to use this quick and easy recipe that I got from my friend Stephanie Ashcraft, who is the author of 

"101 things to do with a Cake Mix":

Death By Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Sour Cream (I like to use all natural whole)

4 eggs

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of oil (I use light Olive Oil or Canola)

1 chocolate cake mix (It works with Gluten-Free also)

1 small box of instant chocolate pudding ( I like to use Trader Joe's Instant Chocolate Pudding)

1 cup of chocolate chips (it recommends semisweet but, I went with milk chocolate this time)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven @ 350 degrees

Beat sour cream, eggs, water, and oil together in large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Stir in chocolate chips.
For a bunt cake:

Place batter in a greased and floured bunt pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a fork inserted into cake comes out clean.

While the cake is cooling, start the rice crispy mix. You can make this anyway you'd like. I like to do mine on the stove top. For the this way of making rice crispy mix, click here.

 

Because I was taking this to a party, I folded some aluminum foil over a sturdy piece of cardboard for my cake plate.

After the cake cools, dig out the middle so that you have enough to fill it with a ball of rice crispy mix.

Make another ball for the head. To support the head, I used a bamboo skewer.

I'd like to say that you could use any kind of frosting, but I have come across recipes that are meant for cookies rather than cakes because they are not as strong. So, if it is a cake-like frosting, you are in business.

I used the Better Homes and Garden Frosting listed below for the frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening (I normally don't use Shortening, but in my experience, it is easy to work with when molding) 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (Use clear Vanilla for a whiter frosting)

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (about 1 pound)

3 - 4 tablespoons milk

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl beat shortening, vanilla, and extract with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar, beating well. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk. Gradually beat in remaining powdered sugar and enough remaining milk to reach spreading consistency. Makes about 3 cups.

1. I frosted the rice crispy mix first with my fingers that were wet with water. That way I could mold the frosting all over while creating a body for my tarantula. Yes, the body of the tarantula looks yellow compared to the frosting on the cake. I had some leftover butter cream frosting I used in this photo. 
2. Then, I frosted the cake with the white frosting. 
3. Next, I created the tarantula's black body by adding a few drops of black food coloring* to the rest of the icing, along with a half case of crushed Oreo crumbs.This created a lumpy texture to the frosting. With wet fingers again, I molded the black lumpy clay-like frosting all over the body and molded legs by rolling them out and pressing them into the body and white frosting to attach them.  

*If you don't have black food coloring, I have used blue food coloring and added cocoa powder to make it a black'ish chocolate frosting. Plus the Oreos help with the color too.

For the details on the tarantula, I took Hot Jaw Breakers for eyes and candy corns to look like fangs. The finished result (in the photo at the top of this post) I added some molded pedipalps out of the black frosting to surround the fangs.  

Finally, I sprinkled some black sprinkles to resemble a harrier specimen. I should have done that to the legs as well.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

For all you Harry Potter nerds out there!

I couldn't help posting these links. Sorry, I haven't made these but they looked like fun and I am a true Harry Potter fan so good luck!

Butterbeer Cupcakes

Cauldron Cakes

Butterbeer 1

Butterbeer 2

Pumpkin Pasties

Ton Tongue Toffee

Pumpkin Juice

Multiple other recipe ideas1

Multiple other recipe ideas2

I'm sure if you do more searching the possibilities are endless but I thought this was fun. :)

Yummy Halloween Ideas



Photo by Madeline L.



Caramel Apples Click Here



Photo by Madeline L.



Spider Bunt Cake Click HERE



Photo by Madeline L.



 Gloria's Gooey Caramel Corn Click HERE



Photo by Alison L.



Alison's 5 Minute Caramel Popcorn Click Here



Photo by Everyday witrh Rachel Ray



Michelle's Kettle Corn Click Here



Photo by Madeline L.



Pumpkin Doghnuts with Pumpkin Orange Frosting Click HERE

Photo by Amanda D.

Amanda's Pumpkin Molassess Cookies Click Here

Photo by Sally A.

Sally's Ginger Snaps Click Here

Photo by Madeline L.



Rice Crispy Ghosts Click HERE



Photo Taken by Nichole H.



Nichole's Yummy Bones Click Here

Oreo Truffles

 

This post is a re-make from one I did two years ago today. Since then I've added some more photos and more ideas of what to do with these Oreo Truffles or so I call them. I really don't know what the proper name is for these or who was the original creator. In fact, my story goes back to 2004 in my Spanish for Medical Care Providers class at ISU. A classmate of mine brought them and someone asked what was in them. She spouted out the words "1 package of Oreos, 1 package or cream cheese, and dipping chocolate". I quickly wrote it down and took one home with me to figure out how to make them. This is the way I figured out how and it has worked for me ever since. If anyone has a different way to make these, please let me know. 

Oreo Truffles

Grind a whole package of regular Oreo Cookies

(I have used regular, Mint Oreo, Golden Oreo, and Peanut butter Oreo).

You should have a dirt mixture now

Blend in one 8- once package of cream cheese to make a mud like paste.

Roll into any form you'd like.

Freeze for at least 1 hour (I make mine the night before)

Dip in chocolate or make what I call "naked style".

Remember to refrigerate all truffles made naked style or not. They will last longer and taste fresher because of the cream cheese.

 Here are more ideas I make Oreo Truffles for:

Holiday and Celebration Ideas:

Valentines Day- Mold into heart shapes, add food coloring to your dip to make pink or red hearts.

March- You can mold into Shamrocks and add green food coloring to dip.

Easter- Roll them into oval shapes and add any food coloring to dip.

Independence Day: Make stars with yellow or red and/or blue food coloring to dip.

Baby Showers: Make into balls and color the dip to make blue or pink.

Halloween: Mold and create: ghosts (use white chocolate or vanilla melts and pour onto truffle to make drape), witches (use dark chocolate and mold hats out of tootsie rolls, decorate face with confetti), pumpkins (color white chocolate or vanilla orange and use piece of candy as stump), spiders (while still fresh, press licorice legs into balls). You can freeze after the licorice is in place to hold it, cats (use naked or dipped in dark chocolate, add tail and whiskers with licorice, ears molded from Tootsie roll, and eyes with confetti), and monsters (be creative with candy and any colored dipping).

Thanksgiving: Turkeys dip balls in milk chocolate and use candy for feathers and face. Pilgrim hats are easy to mold and dip in chocolate.

Christmas: Snowman with three balls frozen together and dipped in white chocolate or vanilla, Santa clause with red hats molded out of red taffy and chocolate eyes, and Rudolph (dipped in milk chocolate, cinnamon candy nose, and licorice antlers).

I love making these truffles because you can use them for any event.

Hot chocolate on a stick

are you looking for a last minute neighbor gift?  Loking for some new hot chocolate?
Try this:  I found this at Giverslog.com  Also at http://theidearoom.blogspot.com/

Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Yield: 10 cubes of hot chocolate (ice-cube-tray size)
(use 1 oz. hot chocolate on a stick per every 1 cup milk or cream)

Equipment:
Ziplock bags or piping bags
A double boiler or pan with a glass bowl that can sit over the simmering water
Some kind of chocolate mold, ice trays work great
Stir sticks or a bag of wooden craft sticks like I used (like these,available at any craft store)

Ingredients:
8 oz. chocolate (see note above), bittersweet, semisweet, milk, and white chocolate all work
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

6 cups milk and 2 cups heavy cream if you plan to enjoy these right away

Method
(read a whole post about melting chocolate, including how to melt in the microwave, here)

1. If your chocolate is in a block, chop it into even-sized meltable pieces. Simmer a couple inches of water in a pan, then turn down the heat so the water is below a simmer. I like to remove the pan from the heat, but if you keep it on, keep that water below a simmer. Place glass or stainless steel bowl over the top to make a double boiler. If the bowl touches the water it’s alright, as long as your water isn’t too hot. Dump chocolate into the clean, dry bowl and stir as the chocolate melts. (If you are patient and let those chunks melt slowly, keeping them from getting over 90 degrees F or 88 degrees F for milk and white chocolate, the chocolate will stay “in temper” and will still be nice and pretty when it cools.)
2. Once the chocolate is 2/3 melted, with just some pieces of the chocolate unmelted, remove the bowl from the pan, dry the bottom with a towel and continue stirring until chocolate is fully melted. This is just one more step to keep the chocolate from getting too hot.
3. Add cocoa, sugar, and salt and continue to stir until combined. The chocolate will be thicker, almost as thick as frosting, but still glossy and smooth and very fun to stir. If it looks grainy or more like fudge and is difficult to stir, it’s possible you’ve accidentally gotten a drop of water in the mixture.
4. Scoop chocolate into a ziplock bag and clip off the corner.
5. Pipe the chocolate into your chocolate mold, tapping the mold on the counter to make sure all the chocolate settles into the mold. Add a stir stick and you’re done. The stir stick should stay upright without any trouble.
6. Let the chocolate cool either at room temperature or in the fridge if you’re in a hurry.
7. If you don’t like the look of the chocolate once it is removed from the mold, you can dip the cubes into a new batch of plain melted chocolate for a shinier finish (again, try to keep chocolate from heating over 90 degrees, or use candy melts, which will stay shiny and pretty even if you go above 90 degrees). This also lets you add sprinkles or crushed candy or just lets you dip in fun patterns. I like dipping at an angle into a different color of chocolate.
8. In order to enjoy these, heat up any combo of milk, water, half and half, or cream. I like 6 cups milk with 2 cups heavy cream. One ounce of chocolate on a stick should be melted into one cup milk or cream. So a standard ice cube-tray block, which is 3/4 an ounce, should be melted into a mug with 3/4 cup milk or cream in it.

How to store it: Chocolate will keep in an airtight container for up to a year. Don’t keep it in the fridge because it is really good at absorbing odors.

I used Ice trays from Ikea, and I stuck in a craft stick since I have a million of them.  ok, so only 1,000 but still...

Yummy Bones

Here is a spooky party snack perfect for Halloween. Use breadstick dough in the can...cut a slit about an inch and a half long on each end, then roll up the flaps untill they look like bones. Bake according to the directions on the package and serve with pizza or spaghetti sauce!(i found these on the Disney Family website)

Halloween Caramel Apples

Whoever you are, caramel apples are a must around this time of year! They are so easy to make and fun to decorate and 3 easy steps.

Granny Smith Apples are generally perferred.

Melt your caramel pieces and spread all over.  You can decorate from here or....

Pour white or regular chocolate all over cooled caramel apple and roll into candy or crushed cookies.

There are so many ways to decorate them!

I also made these for Easter Treats

Click HERE to see

Keeping it "Lite" this Halloween.

Happy Chocolate Cupcake Day!

*

This is the time of year when things get busy and I forget about how much I indulged myself on anything and everything because, lets face it, I love anything and everything related to food. I love to try new things, explore my senses, and give my taste buds a run for their money. Even though a lot of things I am going to make this holiday season won't be "Calorie friendly", let’s just say that I can still have fun and eat my cake too. I hope to keep things simple but, enjoy the available treats also. Here is the latest treat that is worth making for those of you like me want to keep the calories below par. (Photograph from Weight Watchers)

Weight Watcher's Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes
(3 points)
Ingredients:
2 spray(s) cooking spray

2 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 cup(s) SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
1 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup(s) cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp table salt
1 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
2 cup(s) water
1 cup(s) light corn syrup
1 1/2 cup(s) sugar
1/2 cup(s) water
2 medium egg white(s)
1/2 tsp table salt
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp decorating icing, orange

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat two 12-hole muffin tins with cooking spray and line with cupcake wrappers.
In a large bowl, combine flour, Splenda, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg substitute, 2 cups of water and 1 cup of light corn syrup.
Spoon egg mixture into flour mixture and mix until completely smooth and incorporated.
Pour batter into muffin tins until each hole is completely full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
While cupcakes cool, make frosting: Heat a medium pot of water to boiling.
In a medium metal or glass bowl, beat sugar, 1/2 cup of water, egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and vanilla extract with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute.

Place bowl of frosting over rapidly boiling water (you are creating a double boiler) and beat at high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove frosting from heat and beat on high speed until mixture is thick enough to spread, about 5 minutes. Frost cupcakes, create a spider web-like design on each with icing and decorate as desired. Yields 1 cupcake per serving