Halloween would not be Halloween without a little blood and gore, right?
In this case, it’s a Cake that is bleeding with a knife stabbed right in the middle!
Simple Halloween Bleeding Cake
Halloween Bleeding Cake
Halloween is filled with festive sweets and some are downright gory! Every year, I have fun with the first official holiday.
I’ll be the first to admit, I am not a cake baking pro, but, you don’t have to be to make the DIY Halloween Bleeding Cake with Knife.
Really, this is more about the design than cake-baking skills.
Blood Oozing Cake
Plus, I have a cake secret to share with you, that will up your cake baking game!
And of course, you are here probably to make a blood oozing cake and figure out how to make the blood ooze but not fall off the cake right?
Do you want your blood oozing cake to have the blood drip down the sides of the cake without dripping off the cake platter?
In my opinion, the blood oozing down the side of the cake and then kind of puddling yet not moving beyond is the best part
Dripping blood may look cool, but the scene-stealer no doubt is the knife!
Do You Need More Halloween Inspiration?
Now, if you don’t want to make a cake, but you’ve stopped by to visit my page for Halloween ideas, here’s a little bit!
- Try spider web eggs
- bloodshot eyeball eggs
- deviled bloodshot eyeballs
- cobweb deviled eggs
- chocolate witch spatter cookies
- brookie eyeballs
Time to take the knife plunge and go deep getting blood-covered hands and create this Halloween Bleeding Cake!
Halloween Bleeding Cake with Knife
This recipe starts with a great cake (easy to make) and ends getting KNIFED.
Remember, I’ll keep this nice and easy for you, but you can advance this whole How-To + recipe below if you want to just use the word below this paragraph.
Jump to RecipeMake the Halloween bleeding knife cake your own
In fact, because this is some of my favorite cook and bakeware, I can exted an exclusive 20% off!
Every time I make this cake (a few times during the month of October, I challenge myself with a different level of difficulty.
Since I am not a pro baker, I do tend to get giddy when the cake does not slide, or it stays together. Ok, so I am over-exaggerating but I am still challenged by cakes when I make them!
Currently I am learning how to better ice, frost and top a cake, but that skill is a craft and well once I toss on the blood red ganache, my less than awesome cake frosting skills are less in view!
So, my decisions and yours to up your bleeding knife cake are:
- Make a cake from scatch or buy a boxed mix to use
- Use store-bought icing or make your own.
- Add filling between each layer such as jam or fresh fruits
- fill each layer with a whipped cream filling
- just use frosting between each layer
- cake color and flavor – I do change this up, but I try to avoid chocolate.
Every decision is a different layer of difficulty. For those craving simplistic gore, I’ve got that here for you.
CAKE Pans Matter
Maybe the most complex part of the DIY for this cake is getting the cake baked just right.
To do that, I rely on my favorite cake pans. I often wonder how I ever baked a cake in silicones when I met this fabulous brand.
For those of you in need a good cake pan, you will love these as cakes do turn out perfect every time!
Use code: Inthekitchenwithdana at checkout for 20% off.
Why I use this cookware and bakeware brand.
As you well know, if your cake flops, the whole project is over and before these pans, that happened frequently.
My baking pans now, are precise and create even heating throughout due to multi-layer construction.
In fact, these are forever pans, meaning once you buy them you’ll never buy other pans for your lifetime!
That’s good that they come with a lifetime warranty, but I have the feeling these will be handed down from generation to generation.
Gift them at a bridal shower, a holiday gift, a birthday gift or as a housewarming present, they are perfection!
TIP BEFORE Starting the Halloween Bleeding Cake
You really want to make sure you have gathered all of your ingredients before you start.
As with any recipe, if you don’t have to run around to grab ingredients, you are less likely to forget what you already added!
Also, there will be a bit of a time lag between baking and decorating, the cake must cool before you can layer and ice and add ganache, unless you want a sliding event.
However, if you are like me, you’ve got a million things to do so you can work in between the baking and decorating steps.
Last, the cake can be any flavor or color you want, just remember, you have to decorate it.
Remember, if you bake a chocolate cake and your icing is not dark enough, it won’t be a white cake anymore.
Knife Fun for the Halloween Bleeding Cake DIY
Because the weight of a knife can be substantial, I opted for a fake knife.
While some may say it’s not FOOD Grade, here’s the trick you need to know.
Use cling wrap on the portion of the knife that is going into the cake.
Problem solved.
Food Coloring Fun And Your Cake
To keep the cake WHITE either use clear Vanilla or in your frosting or don’t use it at all.
You could just BUY the icing.
Like I said, keep this cake easy in preparation and you’ll love the results.
If you are short on time and don’t have a great recipe for icing, skip making it, buy it.
However, if you want to make it, and don’t have clear vanilla, don’t add it otherwise you will get an unpure white.
Red Ganache recipe for bleeding effect
You’ll need this AFTER you bake and cool your cakes.
Actually, you can make this just about 10 minutes before you are ready to use it and it will gain the perfect consistency.
Blood Red Ganache
Ingredients
- 1/2 C 1/2 C to 3/4 C Meltable Chocolate depending on how thick or thin you want the ganache.
- 1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
- Red Chocolate Food Coloring* optional if you just want brown colored ganache you don't need this step not regular food coloring
Instructions
- In a microwaveable bowl, place heavy whipping cream.
- Microwave it for about 45 seconds bringing it to the beginning of a boil, but not boiling.
- Remove from the microwave.
- Add in 1/2 C of the meltable chocolate pieces. (chocolate chip morsels work quite well)
- Allow it to sit for a few minutes then stir.
- Add in the rest of the chocolate pieces.
- Again let it all sit for 2 minutes or so.
- Now stir, not rapidly but to combine.
- As you stir, it will thicken.
- If it is not getting thick enough add more chocolate pieces.
- *Tip >>Heavy whipping cream thins, while the chocolate thickens.
- Stir and the color will change.
- Add a drop of your chocolate coloring for candy in. (if you are happy with the color of your melting chips, you don’t need this step, but if you started with white chips, you have to color them red)
- Stir.
- If the color you want is not there yet, add another drop or 2 until you achieve your blood red.
Notes
Generally, the colors are more vibrant and it takes less candy coloring to achieve. The candy colors are specially formulated to actually bind with the chocolate.
Don’t skip on this part, unless you purchase already RED chocolate chips and melt those. My bet is, however, that the red won’t be brilliant enough for you against the white cake.
Alternatively, you could simply use a raspberry or strawberry sauce, but you have to create the perfect consistency.
Recipe: Halloween Bleeding Cake
Halloween Bleeding Cake
Equipment
- Cake Pans
- Cooling Racks
- Knife
- Icing Spreading Tool
- Spatula
Ingredients
- For the Cake
- 2 Boxed Cakes Prepared and cooled.
- Cake Pans
- Cooling Rack
- Cake Platter
- The Icing
- White Icing – Purchase
- Blood Red Ganache – Recipe In Post
- Knife
Instructions
- Bake 2 packages of boxed cake mix according to box directions.
- Allow them to cool. (a few hours).
- Once cakes are cooled. Carefully slice each cake in 1/2. (4 pieces)
- Prepare white icing or use store-bought white icing (easiest and fastest).
- Create the Blood Red Ganache about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to use it after cakes have fully cooled.
- Begin with the base layer, and add icing(store-bought) or you can make a ganache filling using my Simple Ganache Recipe.
- Cover with a layer of sliced cake, and then repeat with icing ganache filling (whichever you are choosing).
- Then layer the next 1/2 of the cake, repeating the above process until you’ve used all of the halved pieces, but do not ICE the top.
- Next, before icing, the cake, TRIM the entire cake about 1/2" to an 1" all the way around to make it more narrow in appearance.
- *Optional –Reserve the trimmed cake and you could create cake pops if you so desire later, or use it in homemade birthday cake ice cream.
- Once your cake is trimmed, ice the cake with white icing you are using for the filling and the icing.
- Allow the icing to set up (refrigerate if necessary).
- Once your cake is iced and set, it’s time to add the blood.
- Do not make the blood-red ganache until you are done icing the cake and it is heading to the fridge to set up.
- Use prepared & cooled Blood Red Ganache and spread across the top and then along the sides.
- Allow this to set again in the refrigerator.
- Once set, add in the knife and enjoy your DIY Halloween Bleeding Cake with Knife.
- Serve.
- Cake can be left on countertop for up to 72 hours, but it is best refrigerated.
Notes
Do allow the Blood Red Ganache to COOL before you use it. Buttercream icing can be made while the cake is cooling. Using a white cake makes it easier to COVER with White icing and less chance of SEEING THROUGH the cake. Trimming the exterior of the cake allows for more TIGHT coverage and a taller looking, slimmer cake, which makes the overall presentation much better (IMO) Reserve the bowl of trimmed cake to make cake pops (optional). Allow the cake to be refrigerated as listed in-between steps it helps with the icing/frosting and ganache layers. You can use a real knife or a play knife. I used a costume knife so that there are no accidental mishaps. However, if your knife is not food-grade you do want to take care to cover the tip of the inserted knife. If you want to go all out, make blood-red tinted icing for between the cake layers, I did not do that. You can flavor your icing with vanilla or almond (the white) just make sure that it is CLEAR, not brown or it will alter the color of the cake icing. Serve on a WHITE platter for impact or a black platter.