If you’re looking for more fun Halloween desserts to make this year, try my tutorials for cauldron cupcakes and skeleton Halloween cupcakes. Then, use up your leftover candy to make this Halloween candy cake!
Make the batter. First, mix up your cake batter according to the directions on the box or following your preferred recipe. Afterward, stir in a few drops of orange food coloring. Bake the cakes. Divide the batter evenly between three greased 6” cake pans, and bake. Easy peasy!
Start with the first cake layer. Place your first cake layer on a plate. I like to dollop a bit of frosting underneath to hold the cake in place. Then, use a large open-round piping tip (or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off) to pipe a thick vanilla buttercream border around the outside of the cake as pictured. Fill the cake. Next, use an offset spatula to spread dark chocolate frosting inside the vanilla frosting border. Place the second cake layer over top, and repeat.
Frost the outside of the cake. With your third and final cake layer stacked, use the remaining vanilla frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Pipe the spider web. I used a piping bag fitted with a #4 small round decorating tip and filled it with black frosting. Working slowly, pipe the frosting in a web pattern over the top of the cake. I extended the web down the side of the cake so my “spiders” could dangle!
Add the spiders. Press Mini Oreos into the cake, at the ends of the “web” or as you see fit. Use the leftover white and black frosting to add the spiders’ legs and eyes.
Why I Love This Spider Cake TutorialWhat You’ll NeedHow to Make a Spider Cake (Step-By-Step)Decorating TipsStoring a Spider CakeMore Fun Halloween TreatsGet the Recipe
Of course, it helped to start with a box of cake mix, which cut down on the prep time. Here’s why I love this tutorial:
It’s fun and easy. You don’t need to be a master cake decorator to turn a simple layer cake into a spooky spider cake. This tutorial uses just two colors of frosting and an easy piping technique to create the “web” pattern. It’s great if you’re just getting the hang of piping frosting. No fancy equipment. You don’t even need a piping bag or piping tips. A Ziplock bag with the corner snipped works perfectly here! Perfect for the spooky season. I love this 6-inch cake because it’s perfect for Halloween parties, but it’s also a fun design for a spider-themed birthday cake. You can get creative decorating this cake with Halloween candy, cookies, and more to really make it your own.
Cake Mix – Choose your favorite brand of boxed white or yellow cake mix. Or, use your favorite homemade recipe to make and bake the cakes from scratch. Food Coloring – Orange food dye for coloring the cake, and black food dye for coloring the frosting. I recommend food coloring gels as they’re more potent. A little goes a long way. Frosting – I use my perfect vanilla buttercream to frost the cake and a can of store-bought chocolate frosting with black food dye mixed in for the spider web details. You could also make a batch of my homemade chocolate buttercream. Another option is to use ready-made black decorating icing, like the kind from Wilton. Oreos – I used Mini Oreos for the spider bodies. You could use any small, dark cookie for this.
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