Halloween Eyeball Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the pupil and iris: Spray a 3-quart mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the blue gelatin with the boiling water in a small bowl and mix until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour 1/4 cup of the gelatin into a second bowl and mix in the black food coloring. Set the remaining blue gelatin aside. Pour the black gelatin into the prepared bowl.
• Place in the refrigerator to set, about 30 minutes. Use a 2 1/4-inch round cutter to cut the gelatin into a circle and carefully remove the excess gelatin from around the outside of the cutter to leave a "pupil" in the bottom of the bowl. Discard the excess gelatin.
• Pour 1/4 cup blue gelatin into the bowl over the black pupil (if the blue gelatin has set before pouring, pop it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to loosen it). You will have some excess blue gelatin. Place the bowl back in the refrigerator to set another 30 minutes.
• For the eyeball and crust: Combine the cheesecake mixes and milk in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until thick but still pourable, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the bowl over the pupil and iris. Gently drop the bowl on your counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator and let set for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, mix together the melted butter and red gel food coloring and whisk to ensure that the food coloring is completely blended into the butter. Combine the sugar, red melted butter and 2 bags of the crushed graham crackers that came with the no-bake cheesecake mix in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until the graham cracker crumbs are colored red, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the eyeball from the refrigerator and press the crust on top. Place the entire eyeball cake back in the refrigerator to let the crust harden, about 1 hour.
• To plate and garnish: Place a large round plate or platter over the bowl with the eyeball cake. Flip the bowl over so the bowl is on top of the plate. Gently tap the bowl and plate on the counter to help release the eyeball. Gently remove the bowl to reveal the eyeball cake (if the cake does not release from the bowl, dip the bowl in warm water to help it loosen).
• Use the red writing gel to make branching lines around the eye to resemble the veins of a bloodshot eye. Spoon the cherry pie filling around the entire base of the eyeball (you may not use the whole can).

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 2-quart round ovenproof bowl with shortening; lightly flour. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites. Pour batter into bowl.
• Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around side of bowl to loosen cake; remove from bowl to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. On serving plate, place cake rounded side up, trimming as needed.
• Frost cake with frosting. With scissors, cut fruit snack into 3 1/2-inch circle. To decorate, place cutout on top center of cake. Pipe black gel in center of fruit snack for pupil. Use red gel for veins to look like bloodshot eye.

Steps:

• Prepare and bake the cake in a 10-cup Bundt pan according to the package directions. Let cool completely, then transfer to a large serving platter.
• Microwave the jam until pourable, about 2 minutes. If there are seeds, strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Pour enough jam into the hole of the cake to fill it to the top. Reserve the remaining jam.
• Microwave the taffy until soft and pliable, about 10 seconds. Put the taffy in between two 8-inch-long pieces of parchment sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Roll it out to a 1/8-inch-thick circle using a rolling pin, then cut it with a 5-inch biscuit cutter. Warm the black gummies and roll into a marble-sized piece. Place in the middle of the blue taffy circle and roll out to create a pupil.
• Stir together the gelatin and 1/3 cup cold water in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. (If any granules of sugar stick to the side of the pan, brush them back into the sugar-water mixture with a wet pastry brush.) Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
• With the mixer on low, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the softened gelatin. Once all the syrup is added, increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is very thick and holds soft peaks, about 15 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
• Coat a rubber spatula with cooking spray and while still warm, spread the marshmallow frosting all over the bundt cake. Let sit at room temperature until the frosting is completely cool and set, about 1 hour.
• Place the blue taffy piece centered on top of the cake. Use the red decorating gel to draw bloodshot lines on the outside of the cake. Serve with a butcher's cleaver.

Steps:

• Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions for a 9-by-13-inch cake or two 9-inch cakes. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, then remove to a rack, cover with a dish towel and let cool completely.
• Break off sections of the cake and crumble in a large bowl. When finished, you should have a bunch of very fine cake crumbs. Using a rubber spatula, work the frosting into the cake until it is no longer visible. (Even if you use white frosting with red velvet cake, the white will eventually blend in entirely.)
• Next, roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (a small ice cream scoop helps with this) and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. This is important: Pop 'em in the freezer, uncovered, for at least an hour. The cake balls need to be very firm before coating them.
• When the cake balls are nice and firm, place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Don't let the bowl touch the water.) Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan. Add the cake balls one at a time to the melted white chocolate and gently roll to coat. Using a fork, lift out the cake balls, then tap the fork against the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate. With a toothpick, push the ball off of the fork and back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Let set at room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Decorate with gel icing to look like eyeballs.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.
• Bake cakes 17 to 21 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Divide frosting into 3 small bowls (1 cup each). Stir 1/2 teaspoon different color of food color into each bowl. Fit 3 separate decorating bags with 1/2-inch round piping tip; fill each with different color frosting. Place first cake layer on plate. Using green frosting, pipe around top edge of cake layer, forming a thick frosting border. Spread additional frosting over top of cake inside frosting border. Top with second cake layer; repeat border and filling with purple frosting. Place third cake layer on top; repeat with orange frosting. Pipe remaining frosting into mounds over top of cake, alternating colors and sizes of mounds.
• Decorate as desired using candy eyeballs on frosting mounds and side of cake. Store cake covered at room temperature.

Steps:

• Break the Madeira cake and cookies into the bowl of a food processor, pour in the melted milk chocolate and whizz to combine.
• Tip the mixture into a bowl, then use your hands to roll into about 10 walnut-sized balls. Chill for 2 hrs until really firm.
• Push a skewer into each ball, then carefully spoon the white chocolate over the cake balls to completely cover. Stand the cake pops in the pumpkin, then press a Smartie onto the surface while wet. Chill again until the chocolate has set. Before serving, using the icing pens, add a pupil to each Smartie and wiggly red veins to the eyeballs.