Cauldron Cake
3D cauldron cake made with buttercream icing.
Bake Your Cake.
Bake your cake in two 9" round cake pans.
Let your cakes cool completely before frosting them. After your cakes come to room temperature, I recommend putting them in the freezer for at least a couple hours to make it easier when shaping/cutting them.
Let your cakes cool completely before frosting them. After your cakes come to room temperature, I recommend putting them in the freezer for at least a couple hours to make it easier when shaping/cutting them.
Begin Shaping Your Cake.
Grab your best bread knife and round off the edges of both cakes.
More Shaping.
In order for you to fill your cauldron cake with delicious treats, you will need to finish shaping/cutting it.
You will want to find something round you can use as a guideline that will still leave the edges fairly thick (so they don't break on you during assembly); I would recommend a round cookie-cutter, although I used a child-sized bowl.
You will now have three sections of cake:
- A solid 9" round section, which will be the base of your cauldron,
- A hollow 9" round section, which will be the top of your cauldron,
- And a small round section, which will be the base of your witch's hat.
You will want to find something round you can use as a guideline that will still leave the edges fairly thick (so they don't break on you during assembly); I would recommend a round cookie-cutter, although I used a child-sized bowl.
You will now have three sections of cake:
- A solid 9" round section, which will be the base of your cauldron,
- A hollow 9" round section, which will be the top of your cauldron,
- And a small round section, which will be the base of your witch's hat.
Ready Your Frosting and Gather Your Icing Supplies.
You will need:
Frosting/Icing:
Make, or purchase, approximately 4lbs of buttercream icing. (There are many bakeries that will sell you the icing they use if you are uncomfortable making your own.)
(If in doubt, more icing is better than not enough.)
Divide the icing, and color as follows:
- slightly less than 3lbs will be brown
- slightly more than 1lbs will be green
Supplies:
Two bags, a spatula, an icing tip, and one or two large round tips (I used one round tip and simply washed it between colors).
Frosting/Icing:
Make, or purchase, approximately 4lbs of buttercream icing. (There are many bakeries that will sell you the icing they use if you are uncomfortable making your own.)
(If in doubt, more icing is better than not enough.)
Divide the icing, and color as follows:
- slightly less than 3lbs will be brown
- slightly more than 1lbs will be green
Supplies:
Two bags, a spatula, an icing tip, and one or two large round tips (I used one round tip and simply washed it between colors).
Ice Your Cake.
Fill the bag containing your icing tip with brown icing. "Glue" the top of your cauldron (hollow 9" cake) to the bottom (solid 9" cake) with the icing. Continue to ice the remainder of your cauldron cake with the brown icing, using your spatula to "push" the icing onto the cake.
To get more of rustic texture, place a piece of wax paper on your cake and smooth it down with a clean spatula. Lift the wax paper off and repeat around the cake.
To get more of rustic texture, place a piece of wax paper on your cake and smooth it down with a clean spatula. Lift the wax paper off and repeat around the cake.
Cauldron Bubbles.
Using your green icing and a round tip, create "bubbles" inside and pouring out of your cauldron.
You can achieve this by holding your bag straight up-and-down, applying enough pressure to create a circle, and lifting the bag away after releasing the pressure.
You can achieve this by holding your bag straight up-and-down, applying enough pressure to create a circle, and lifting the bag away after releasing the pressure.
Witch's Hat.
You can create a witch's hat, to go with your cauldron, out of the small round circle of cake from step three and an ice cream cone.
You will begin by angling off the top of your small circle of cake, like you did in step two (but slightly more drastic).
Ice the cake with the brown icing as you did for the cauldron (remembering to use your spatula to "push" the icing onto the cake).
Then use your spatula to ice the cone in brown as well, and gently push the cone onto the top of the cake.
You will begin by angling off the top of your small circle of cake, like you did in step two (but slightly more drastic).
Ice the cake with the brown icing as you did for the cauldron (remembering to use your spatula to "push" the icing onto the cake).
Then use your spatula to ice the cone in brown as well, and gently push the cone onto the top of the cake.
Cauldron Handles.
This is the point where I washed my round tip, so I could change colors from green to brown.
Using your brown icing and your round tip, create handles for your cauldron. This can be any sort of "U" shape, as long as you make sure to start and end your "U" over the curve of the edge of your cake (so your handles don't fall off on you).
I also used my round tip to cover the seem on the hat, where the cone and cake meet, to make it easier to apply candy decor.
Using your brown icing and your round tip, create handles for your cauldron. This can be any sort of "U" shape, as long as you make sure to start and end your "U" over the curve of the edge of your cake (so your handles don't fall off on you).
I also used my round tip to cover the seem on the hat, where the cone and cake meet, to make it easier to apply candy decor.
Hat Decor.
Decorate your witch's hat with your favorite sugary sweets, I used candy corn.
Almost Done!
Gather Candy.
Gather candy to place in (and possibly pouring out of) your cauldron.
Set the Scene.
Your cake is done, set your spooky scene and enjoy! :)