As I continue to learn and grow in regards to my skills in the kitchen, I have to say I really enjoy the creativity involved. When I put together these  Shark Attack Cupcakes they truly filled my soul! As a Halloween lover since I was small, it was only natural that I continued to develop recipes that celebrate the spooky (more sophisticated) side of this holiday. After much thought, I settled upon creating this Harvest Moon Halloween Cake!

Harvest Moon Halloween Cake

Basically this Harvest Moon Halloween Cake is absolutely a culmination of all the ideas I’ve had rattling around in my brain the past month.

I’ve always enjoyed the moon, and I doubt you could tell a story during this season without it’s mention. The Harvest Moon is a full moon and it is in this stage that it falls closest to the beginning of autumn (or last day of summer). Traditionally long before farmers had access to modern technology this was a time that they were able to work into the night as their days shortened. I feel a full moon is often the brightest as well due to it’s size, and I wanted to capture that in this cake as well!

While the moon is beautiful, I think a few delicately placed clouds give it a more eerie feel.

I wanted to make sure this Halloween cake didn’t just celebrate the night sky, but tipped it’s hat to the fall in a more obvious way. That’s why I decided a pumpkin patch was also a non-negotiable feature!

I’m also a firm believer in a surprise inside your  Halloween cake! What’s better than a pumpkin patch sitting atop skeletal remains? NOTHING.

Creating the Harvest Moon

1. Blow up balloons to the desired size of your moon. I measured mine next to my cake pans to anticipate how large I wanted them to be. (It still turned out a little big.) Cut most of the tail off so they will sit nicely in a muffin tin. Then grease them LIGHTLY with cooking spray (I cannot stress enough how LIGHTLY you need to do it or the gelatin will slide off. They just need to feel greasy but not have open dots of oil on them).  Polish off excess with a paper towel.
2. Mix 4 Knox Original Unflavored Gelatin Packets with 8 tablespoons of cold water blending while using a fork.
3. Let it mellow for 5 minutes on it’s own.
4. Pop that baby in the microwave for 20 seconds (or a little more) to warm everything up. Just make sure you don’t boil it!
5. Put in a drop of Wilton Yellow Food Coloring as well as red and mix! You’ll have to play with the colors a little bit, mine definitely turned out a touch more orange than I was planning.
6. After 2 minutes have passed  and you remove the nasty gunk from the top layer quickly dip the balloon tops in the gelatin.
7. Place the tail of the balloon inside a muffin tin to dry for a day.
8. After about a day has passed use scissors to gently pop the balloon. Delicately pull the bit of the balloon still stuck to the side of your moon. Basically they’re pretty durable but it’s much like pulling a sticker off of something so you need some patience.

Baking the Harvest Moon Halloween Cake Layers

In order to bake this cake, I stuck with Betty Crocker’s Devil’s Food Cake Mix, and also their SuperMoist  Milk Chocolate Cake Mix because – hello – it’s HALLOWEEN!

I decided to bake it in layers because I wanted to place a surprise in it and felt this would be the best way. I baked them in four 9″ rounds, which meant that it was baked for the amount of time found on the back of the box.

Once I verified it was done after the toothpick was clean when removed it I then allowed my Halloween cake layers to cool for about 10 minutes.

They were supposed to be chilled in my fridge for a good long while, about 30 minutes. I didn’t do this and it did affect the integrity of the layers.

While they were cooling I pulverized my Oreo. First I placed half a package of Oreos in a gallon bag and beat them with my coffee can. Then I put them in small amounts into our Ninja to finish pulverizing them.

After my Halloween cake layers had cooled my sister used a knife to cut the tops off so they were level. She has more practice than I do and was able to help me a little.

After placing a dab of frosting on my cake stand I placed the first layer down.

Then I cut out small pieces of of the cake. I dropped some sprinkle bones and pulverized Oreo dust inside the cavities. This part of the recipe was inspired by The Partiologist’s Surprise Inside Graveyard Cake.

Next I placed some frosting on the first layer. Now in hindsight I will say, I recommend placing the pieces of cake back atop the sprinkle bone graves. Because the Oreo dust made everything a little difficult to spread icing over.

I repeated this three more times until all my layers were stacked.

Icing & Decorating Your Cake

Have you ever tried to ice a cake and have the crumbs ruin it? Literally me about a MILLION TIMES. So this time I decided to apply a very thin layer of icing for a crumb coat. Just put a dollop on top and then bring it down the sides of your cake.

It is recommended to let your cake sit in the fridge for about ten minutes to firm up the icing. I did not do this.

Basically I wasn’t worried about my cake having incredibly smooth icing, but I will say that the crumb coat really helped with the process (even sans refrigeration)! I then iced the rest of the cake with my remaining icing.

To decorate our cake I first threw some pulverized Oreos on top to make the surface appear dirt-like. Then I topped the cake with some Mellow Cream Pumpkins.

Next I added the moon with an LED tealight inside. Originally I was going to flank it with cotton candy clouds. But I couldn’t find any. So we tried Jet Puff Marshmallow, which was a DISTASTER. DON’T USE IT FOR CLOUDS. EVER.

Thus, there are no clouds.

Wa-Lah, there you have it!

It’s definitely a little time intensive, but it was so much fun to make!

If you have questions about how to bake cakes in layers for the first time, I found this post to be exceptionally helpful! Even though I’m pretty excited about how this Harvest Moon Halloween Cake turned out, it was definitely a learning experience.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Harvest Moon Halloween Cake

Ingredients & Materials

• 1 Envelope of Knox Original Gelatin Packets
• 1 Balloon
• Wilton Gel Food Colors
• Betty Crocker Super Moist Devil’s Food Cake Mix
• Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 Cup Brach’s MellowCreme Pumpkins
• 3/4 Box of Oreo’s
• Wilton Bone Sprinkles
• 2 9″ round cake pans
• 2  containers of Betty Crocker Chocolate Rich & Creamy Frosting
• LED Tealight

Creating the Harvest Moon

1. Blow up the balloon to the desired size of your moon. I measured mine next to my cake pans to anticipate how large I wanted them to be. Cut most of the tail off so they will sit nicely in a muffin tin. Then grease them LIGHTLY with cooking spray (I cannot stress enough how LIGHTLY you need to do it or the gelatin will slide off. They just need to feel greasy but not have open dots of oil on them).  Polish off excess with a paper towel.
2. Mix 4 Knox Original Unflavored Gelatin Packets with 8 tablespoons of cold water blending while using a fork.
3. Let it mellow for 5 minutes on it’s own.
4. Pop that baby in the microwave for 20 seconds (or a little more) to warm everything up. Just make sure you don’t boil it!
5. Put in 1 drop of Wilton Yellow Food Coloring and red food coloring and mix until you get it just right!
6. After 2 minutes have passed  and you remove the nasty gunk from the top layer quickly dip the balloon tops in the gelatin.
7. Place the tail of the balloon inside a muffin tin to dry for a day.
8. After about a day has passed use scissors to gently pop the balloon. Delicately pull the bit of the balloon still stuck to the side of your moon. Basically they’re pretty durable but it’s much like pulling a sticker off of something so you need some patience.

Baking Your Harvest Moon Halloween Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (shiny meta or glass pan) or 325 degrees Fahrenheit (dark non stick pan).
2. Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and water. Mix all ingredients until well combined.
3. Right before you bake your cake spray two 9″ round pans with cooking spray.
4. Pour the cake mix into your two 9″ round pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 29-34 minutes. Check with toothpick to ensure it’s done.
6. Remove your cakes from the oven. Let them rest in their current state on a cooling rack for ten minutes.
7. Invert your cake layers so they’re right side up and let them continue cooling. Once cool remove the cakes from their pans.
8. Let them cool in your fridge for about half an hour so they become firm and easier to decorate.
9. Place a dab of frosting on your cake stand and place the first layer down.
10. Use a knife to cut out small pieces of both 9 inch rounds. Drop some sprinkle bones and pulverized Oreo dust inside the cavities.
11. Smear about chocolate frosting on the first layer.
12. Stack your second layer on top of the icing layer and continue until all layers are utilized.

Icing & Decorating Your Harvest Moon Halloween Cake

1. Add a crumb coat by applying a very thin layer of icing beginning as a dollop on top and then bring it down the sides of your cake.
2. Once done with applying your crumb coat, let your cake sit in the fridge for about ten minutes to firm up the icing. (I didn’t do this but you’re supposed to!)
3. Start to ice your cake, trying to get it relatively even.
4. Add pulverized Oreos on top to make the surface appear very dirt-like. Top your cake with some Mellow Cream Pumpkins making your own little patch.
5. Place your moon on the back 2/3rds of your cake.
6. Placed an LED tealight inside the Harvest Moon so it appears to glow.

Wa-Lah, there you have it! Your very own  Harvest Moon Halloween Cake!

It’s definitely a little time intensive, but it was so much fun to make! If you liked this cake you’ll probably love how we styled our DIY Dollar Store Spooky Halloween Appetizer Bar. You may also enjoy our Dollar Tree Halloween Cauldron Centerpiece and Enchanted Spell Book Halloween Centerpiece.

You also might enjoy these sophisticated Halloween Appetizers:

• Pumpkin Spice Candied Walnut Brains
• Bewitched Green Chile Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms