BE-WITCHING CAKE

You may have seen this

BE-WITCHING CAKE

on the cover of

Woman's World Magazine!

Of course I was smitten at once 

and had to give it a try.

It took a good afternoon to make

but it was a lot of creative fun.

Cute little witches are gathered

with their brooms around the

cake to create an enchanting Halloween cake.

I began with two recipes of my favorite

cake which I divided into 3-8 inch pans to get

a really nice tall cake and baked them for 30-35

minutes.

Next the creativity began.  

I made some quick chocolate clay for the shoes

and the brooms and found that I could harden

the clay by putting it in the fridge rather

than sitting it on the counter overnight

so that was a great new trick.

Then instead of making royal frosting

to cover the pretzel rods for the

legs (that was what the magazine

directed, but you had to wait overnight)

 I dipped them in colored

molding chocolate.  I found a tall narrow

glass that I could put the chocolate in

so that I could use the least amount

of molding chocolate and tipped the glass

so I could get the chocolate up as high

on the rod as I needed.

I filled a bowl with sugar

to sit them upright in while they dried.

If you want to add candy decorations

to the legs, use a tweezers and 

apply while still slightly tacky.

For stripes I tried an edible marker but

it didn't want to write on the chocolate

so I used Americolor black gel food

coloring and painted it on.  It took a little

longer to dry but worked great.

I also made polka dots with the black gel

by dipping the end of my paint brush into

the gel and touching the paint onto the

leg.  Be sure and dip between each dot.

These legs got a sprinkling of purple

sanding sugar while still wet.

The brooms are made from yellowish 

clay rolled around a twisted pretzel.

The shoes are formed out of 

black chocolate clay

which I finished off with

black sanding sugar.

Be-Witching Cake Recipe

3 8 inch cake layers, baked and cooled

Buttercream Icing (follows)

Pretzel Rods (I got Snyders - less salt to

scrape off so the legs are smoother)

Pretzel twists - Rold Gold Honey Wheat

Molding Chocolate in

Black, White, Purple, Green and Orange

Sanding sugars

Candy decorations

Chocolate Clay Recipe

5 oz molding chocolate

1 1/2 T. light corn syrup

Either weigh out your chocolate

with a kitchen scale or it measured

out to a slightly heaped 3/4 C.

Place in a microwave safe bowl

and heat at 30 second intervals

stirring each interval whether it

looks like it or not.  Your greatest

risk to scorch your chocolate comes

from choosing a bowl that is not

microwave safe and not stirring it.

Remove and stir the last few lumps

out.  This small amount should take

60 seconds or just a little longer.

Stir in the corn syrup.  It will become

like a thick frosting.  Place this on

a small place covered in plastic

wrap and place in the fridge until firm.

When you remove it, it will need some

kneading but will become very pliable.

It can be a little greasy, but just wipe

your hands off often.

Make some black clay using black

chocolate molding if available or

add black gel food coloring and

make some yellowish clay by adding

brown and yellow.

Witch Shoes

Black Chocolate Clay

Black Sanding Sugar

Knead the clay until soft and

well mixed and pinch off about

a 3/4 inch ball.  Roll it into a ball

and then pinch one end into the 

pointed toe, curling it up.  Flatten

the other end and using a pretzel rod

make an indentation for the leg to go

into, making sure it is a little bigger

as it will be covered with chocolate.

Form the heel by cutting a wedge out

with a knife.  Coat with sanding sugar

Pretzel Rod Legs

3/4 C. melting chocolate in

purple, orange and green

3 tsp. vegetable oil, divided

Melt 3/4 C. of one color

molding chocolate with 1 tsp. 

vegetable oil by

placing in a microwave safe bowl

and microwaving in 30 second intervals

making sure to stir between each interval.

When smooth, pour into a narrow

glass that you can dip the rods

in.  

Have a bowl full of sugar to stand the

pretzel rods in or a block of styrofoam

so that they can dry upright.

Measure about how high you

want the chocolate to be on your

rods based on the height of your cake.  

you will want them to be about 1 inch

down from the top of the cake

and account for the height of your shoes.

I dipped mine and then cut the 

undipped part off later before I 

assembled the cake using a knife.

Decorate each pair as you go along

if you are going to attach decorations

to the wet chocolate.

Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 C. butter, room temp

pinch of salt

4 tsp. almond extract or

clear vanilla if you prefer

12 C. powdered sugar

about 1/2 C. water or milk

In a large mixing bowl with the

whisk attachment, place the ingredients

except the water.  Add most of the water

and turn it on to whip it.  Add additional

water if needed.  It is always easier 

to add a little more water than more

powdered sugar.  Beat about 7 minutes.

It should be spreadable but stiff

enough to pipe.

When all of the shoes and legs are

prepared, fill and frost the cake.  You

need the frosting to be soft so that

you can press the legs into the sides

of the cake.  

Evenly space the desired number

of legs around the cake.  Place

the shoes on and then place the

legs into the shoes and the sides

of the cake.  

Color the remaining frosting

purple, orange and green and

using a rose tip pipe on the skirts

making sure the thick end is next

to the cake.

Brooms

Rold Gold Honey Wheat Pretzels

Yellowish chocolate clay

Knead the clay and roll it

into a snake.  Roll it out flat

and cut it into a 1 inch x 4 inch

piece.  Cut fringe on one side.

Roll it onto the pretzel and pinch

the top.  Attach the brooms

around the cake with a little

frosting.

Pipe bowls on shoes and brooms

and buckles onto shoes.  

Decorate the top of the cake as 

desired.

Decorate the top as desired.  I had made

6 sets of legs and found that 5 fit better so

I used the extra pair of legs and shoes

to make a cute topper!

Click here for printable recipe and step by step photos.

Beaulah is always happy 

when we feature

witches on Purple Chocolat Home.

We will be posting this with

Foodie Friday

On The Menu Monday

Seasonal Sunday

What's Scarier