Make a Chocolate Spider Web Cake for Halloween

!±8± Make a Chocolate Spider Web Cake for Halloween

Spider Web Cake Ingredients

One pkg. Chocolate Cake Mix

One Can Prepared White Frosting OR
(1/2 cup white chocolate chips & 1/2 tsp. shortening)

Butter knife or Wooden Pick

For Spiders:

Large Black Gumdrop & Black Licorice Whips

Peppermint patty & Red Licorice Whips

Chocolate Doughnut Hole & Black Pipe Cleaners

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Making the Cake:

Bake the cake according to package directions. Let cool and remove both layers from pans.

Place first layer upside down on cake plate or cake board. Frost top of cake and place second layer right side up. Frost entire cake with chocolate frosting.

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Making the Spider Web:

Using white frosting, make 4 to 5 concentric circles from the center of the cake outward, starting small and ending about 1 inch from the cake's edge. It should look like you've drawn a bull's eye on the top of your cake.

Now draw a butter knife or wooden pick carefully from the cake center outward like the spokes of a wheel. This will pull the white frosting to resemble a real spider web. About 8 lines will make an authentic-looking web.

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Spider Web White Frosting Alternative:

Place 1/2 cup white chips and 1/2 teaspoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, oil or spread) in small, heavy zipper-close plastic bag. Microwave at High 45 seconds.

Squeeze gently until all the chips are melted. Microwave an additional 10 to 15 seconds if needed. Make a small cut in bottom corner of bag; squeeze mixture onto cake as directed above.

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Making the Spiders:

Gumdrop Spider: Cut 6 one inches pieces of the black licorice whip. Poke 3 holes on each side of a large black gumdrop and insert licorice "legs". Plop the spider on your wonderful web cake.

Mint Patty Spider: Cut 6 one inch pieces of the red licorice whip. Place a small mint patty on your cake, pressing slightly into the frosting to hold. Add 3 red licorice pieces to each side of the mint patty. Pipe a little reserved white frosting onto the mint patty for eyes.

Doughnut Hole Spider: Cut 6 one inch pieces of black pipecleaner. Form each one into a rounded "L" shape. Insert 3 pipecleaner pieces into each side of a chocolate doughnut hole. Place spider on your cake.

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Cake Design Variation:

Instead of chocolate cake, bake a pumpkin spice cake, white or yellow cake. Color white frosting with orange food coloring. Simply add red and yellow food coloring to the white frosting a drop at a time until you have a nice deep shade of orange. Make the spider web with black decorating gel for a completely differently and unique cake presentation.

View the finished Chocolate Spider Web Cake...