Marshmallow Web Ghost Cake Recipe

Marshmallow Web Ghost Cake

Skill Level: Intermediate
Makes: about 35 servings
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes (includes cooling, chilling, and resting)
Active Time: 1 hour

Creating stretchy, gooey marshmallow webs is a fantastic Halloween hack. Top this spooky cake with charming piped buttercream ghosts for the perfect creepy confection.

Ingredients

Cake:

• Flour-based baking spray for greasing pans
• 6 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 3 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups plus 4 tbsp (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 10 large egg whites
• 2 tbsp neon green food coloring
• 2 tbsp neon purple food coloring
• 1 tbsp neon orange food coloring
• 3 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 tsp black food coloring

Frosting:

• 4 lbs confectioners' sugar
• 2 lbs (8 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Milk or heavy cream to thin, if needed
• 1 tbsp black food coloring

Marshmallow Web:

• 8 jumbo marshmallows

Assembly:

• Black sugar pearls
• Black confetti sprinkles

Special Equipment:

• Four 8-inch round cake pans
• Two 5-inch round cake pans
• Piping bag with a plain 1/2-inch tip
• Dedicated kitchen tweezers
• Offset spatula

Instructions

1. Make the cakes: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease four 8-inch and two 5-inch round pans with flour-based baking spray.
2. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a stand mixer bowl, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until pale and light, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed and alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla until just combined.
3. In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites on medium until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions.
4. Divide 2 cups of batter into each of four bowls. Tint three bowls with neon green, neon orange, and 1 tbsp neon purple food color, respectively. In the fourth bowl, mix cocoa powder with hot water to form a paste, add to the batter, and blend in black food coloring until uniform. Pour one color into each prepared 8-inch pan.
5. Add the remaining 1 tbsp purple to leftover batter and spoon 1 cup of that mixture into each prepared 5-inch pan.
6. Bake until cakes spring back when touched (about 25 minutes for 5-inch pans, 3035 minutes for 8-inch pans). Cool 10 minutes in pans, run a knife around the edges, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
7. Prepare frosting: In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine powdered sugar and softened butter on low until crumbly, then increase speed and whip for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and whip 1 more minute. If the frosting is too stiff, add milk or cream a little at a time until spreadable. Reserve about 2 cups of plain frosting in a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip; tint the remaining frosting black with food gel.
8. Level the cake layers with a serrated knife. Spread a thin layer of black frosting on each layer. Stack the layers beginning with the black cocoa cake on the bottom, then purple, then green, and orange on top. Fully frost the assembled 8-inch cake with black icing and smooth with an offset spatula. For the 5-inch mini tier, frost one purple layer, stack the second, and cover top and sides. Chill both cakes at least 30 minutes to firm the frosting.
9. Carefully place the chilled 5-inch double-layer tier on top of the larger 8-inch cake.
10. Make the marshmallow web: Put marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl and heat about 30 seconds until puffed and losing shape. Stir until mostly smooth and cool until manageable. Coat fingers or wear gloves, pinch a bit of marshmallow and stretch into thin, web-like strands. Drape and wrap strands randomly around both tiers until covered to your liking. Let set about 10 minutes.
11. Pipe the ghosts: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using the reserved piping bag of white frosting, pipe a 23 inch mound for each ghost body topped with a smaller mound for the head. Pipe approximately 20 ghosts, varying sizes for visual interest. Press two black sugar pearls for eyes and add a confetti sprinkle for a mouth if desired. Freeze ghosts until firm, about 1 hour.
12. Use an offset spatula to lift the frozen ghosts and arrange them around the top and edges of the cake.
13. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving. When slicing, snip through the marshmallow web with clean kitchen scissors.