Every year at this time, I try to find some new ghoulish and creepy way to terrify my sweet young boys (in a motherly-love kind of way). Nothing like a coffin shaped cake, with a mummy laying on top to make them squeamish and thrilled to go at it with a fork. The vanilla cake, raspberry filling and chocolate ganache on a bed of oreo crumbs, may be spine tingling enough for kids on Halloween, but tasty enough for the parents as well.
Halloween Mummy Cakes
Follow along with the instructions and find the full recipe below
To bake the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Grease and line a baking sheet (13 x 18-inch) with parchment
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until softened. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed, until well combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl after each. Add the flour mixture and milk and mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
Spread the batter evenly over the prepared pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes in the center of the oven, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack.
Once the cake is cool, use a coffin shaped cookie cutter to cut the cake. Reserve any scraps to use in the raspberry mummy.
To make the ganache: In a large saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat, just to a simmer. Add the chocolate chips and butter and swirl the pot to make sure all the chips are covered with the hot cream. Let it sit for 2 minutes and then gently stir until smooth. Stir in the rum.
Place the cut cakes on a cooling rack, set over a baking sheet lined with parchment. Pour the ganache over the coffin cakes, making sure to cover the sides. Once they are all covered, let them sit until the ganache can set firm.
To make the frosting: Mix together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, until very smooth and fluffy. Add the heavy cream to create a frosting that will be soft enough to pipe a smooth line. You can test this by sticking your finger in the bowl, when it comes out in a smooth, but firm point, it is ready.
Divide the frosting into two bowls, in one bowl add the raspberry preserves.
Stir in 1/2 cup of cake scraps until smooth.
Using a small round pastry tip, pipe out the outline of the mummy on top of the ganache.
Use a very small, straight tip (the kind you would use when piping a basket weave), to pipe the mummy’s wrapping.
Happy Halloween!
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened 3 sticks
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter ½ stick
- 2 tbsp rum optional
Vanilla and Raspberry Frosting
- ½ cup butter, room temp
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp raspberry preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and line a baking sheet (13 x 18-inch) with parchment.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until softened. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed, until well combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl after each. Add the flour mixture and milk and mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
- Spread the batter evenly over the prepared pan. Bake for about 20 minutes in the center of the oven, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack.
- Once the cake is cool, use a coffin shaped cookie cutter to cut the cake. Reserve any scraps to use in the raspberry mummy.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a large saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat, just to a simmer. Add the chocolate chips and butter and swirl the pot to make sure all the chips are covered with the hot cream. Let it sit for 2 minutes and then gently stir until smooth. Stir in the rum.
- Place the cut cakes on a cooling rack, set over a baking sheet lined with parchment. Pour the ganache over the coffin cakes, making sure to cover the sides. Once they are all covered, let them sit until the ganache can set firm.
Raspberry Frosting
- Mix together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, until very smooth and fluffy. Add the heavy cream to create a frosting that will be soft enough to pipe a smooth line. You can test this by sticking your finger in the bowl, when it comes out in a smooth, but firm point, it is ready.
- Divide the frosting into two bowls, in one bowl add the raspberry preserves. Stir in 1/2 cup of cake scraps until smooth.
- Using a small round pastry tip, pipe out the outline of the mummy on top of the ganache. Use a very small, straight tip (the kind you would use when piping a basket weave), to pipe the mummy’s wrapping.
I can’t wait to try these! Yummy mummies!
Oh my! I just have to make these. We’re on our way to the “mummy museum” (the anthropology museum at U of Michigan) this weekend. Would be good w/ brownie instead of cake, too, but it would take away some of the red-inside fun of the raspberry.
Love the idea of these little cakes, just perfect!
ghool.
Love these!! They’re soooo cute!
These are great! And I’ll bet they taste even better than they are cool to look at! Lucky boys! Happy Halloween!
These are so cute Zoe! I’m so glad I found your blog 🙂
OK, I don’t want to be a pest but may I request an apple fritter recipe here? I love the fist sized ones you get at the donut shops as opposed to the 1 1/2″ ones at restaurants. But I once had something heavenly at a French bakery in Olympia, WA that was unlike any other apple fritter I’ve ever had. Thanks for all your recipes whether you have time to post an apple fritter one or not!
Hi Bob,
I’m on it! not sure when I will get a chance to post it, but I now have a craving!
Cheers, Zoë
These look really good… and yummy!
Gonna try some of my own as well. 🙂
Thanks! You’re the best!
These look divine… that’s all I can say is: plain ‘ol divine. I love ganache and raspberry ANYTHING. So this is right up my alley. Thank you for sharing your recipe. This one will definitely get filed away for next Halloween. Thanks Zöe!
Hey Zoe,
Between this vanilla cake and the Fourth of July cake (checkered) which would be the recipe to use for a fondant covered birthday cake? I thought to sandwich the cake layers with the raspberry frosting. Would that hold in humid weather? thanks as always for being my “go-to” site for help and tips!
Hi Wales,
This cake will hold up well to the filling and fondant. Be aware that fondant will get tacky in humidity. If you can keep it in the airconditioning, it will be happiest.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks, that’s good to know.
Under the ingredients of the Vanilla Cake, you’ve stated that the butter quantity was to be “1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted”, however, in the method, you’ve stated,
“In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until softened.”
Did you mean for the butter to be at room temperature, as opposed to “melted”?
Thanks!
Hi Wales,
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. It is meant to be softened butter, not melted!
Cheers, Zoë
You’re welcome!
One more question…you did mean 1 “tablespoon” of baking powder, didn’t you?
Yes, you really did mean 1 tablespoon… Just made it and it looks fine. Great rise on it. Thanks again!
This is probably a dumb question, but what is the half of icing with raspberry used for? Are there two layers of the cake with it in between, or is it used to shape the mummy that will be covered with the other white frosting? I’ve read the recipe multiple times and still can’t figure it out.
Love your recipes and seeing your boys.