Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead is upon us and this year I decided to make these festive skull cakes that are drop-dead delicious!
While I don't generally celebrate the Mexican tradition of Día de Los Muertos I most certainly can appreciate the celebration to honor and remember deceased loved ones. I've always loved the costumes and makeup associated with the holiday...the splashes of colors and the dancers all decked out. It would be amazing to go and see and be a part of the celebration!
In a small saucepan add 1″ of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add 2 ounces of chopped dark chocolate to the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4
Whisk in 3/4 cup of canola oil and 1 cup of sugar until smooth and then add 1 large room temperature egg.
5
In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of Hershey's Special Dark Cacao powder, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
6
Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of brewed coffee and 1/2 cup of buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients, another 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of coffee, and continue whisking until smooth.
7
Fill each skull cavity about 60% full. Tap the pan on a towel-lined countertop to remove any bubbles.
Bake the skulls for 20 Minutes to 25 Minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8
Let the skull cakes cool 10 Minutes before removing them from the pan, invert onto cooling racks and cool completely.
Any leftover batter you can clean the pans, prepare with baking spray and repeat baking.
Alternately if you don't have the baking pans you can line cupcake pans with liners or spray with the baking spray and cook for 18 Minutes to 20 Minutes
For the Icing...
9
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat 1 cup of unsalted butter with 3 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar until blended.
10
Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
If using food coloring, divide the icing into separate bowls and color to your desired hues. Place icing into separate piping bags fitted with piping tip #3. You can also use tips #1, #4, & #5 for variety in your piping details. I used a combination of all of these.
12
Using #3 piping tip with white frosting and start by outlining the facial features around the eyes and the mouth.
13
Continue decorating with piping different colors and designs around each skull making each one unique.
In a small saucepan add 1″ of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add 2 ounces of chopped dark chocolate to the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4
Whisk in 3/4 cup of canola oil and 1 cup of sugar until smooth and then add 1 large room temperature egg.
5
In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of Hershey's Special Dark Cacao powder, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
6
Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of brewed coffee and 1/2 cup of buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients, another 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of coffee, and continue whisking until smooth.
7
Fill each skull cavity about 60% full. Tap the pan on a towel-lined countertop to remove any bubbles.
Bake the skulls for 20 Minutes to 25 Minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8
Let the skull cakes cool 10 Minutes before removing them from the pan, invert onto cooling racks and cool completely.
Any leftover batter you can clean the pans, prepare with baking spray and repeat baking.
Alternately if you don't have the baking pans you can line cupcake pans with liners or spray with the baking spray and cook for 18 Minutes to 20 Minutes
For the Icing...
9
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat 1 cup of unsalted butter with 3 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar until blended.
10
Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
If using food coloring, divide the icing into separate bowls and color to your desired hues. Place icing into separate piping bags fitted with piping tip #3. You can also use tips #1, #4, & #5 for variety in your piping details. I used a combination of all of these.
12
Using #3 piping tip with white frosting and start by outlining the facial features around the eyes and the mouth.
13
Continue decorating with piping different colors and designs around each skull making each one unique.
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AuthorHeather WallaceCategorycakeDifficultyIntermediate
