Witches Brew Halloween Cake Jars

Three jars of chocolate cake layered with green buttercream and decorated with witch legs in orange and black on a black cake stand.

5 from 2 votes

Witches Brew Halloween Cake Jars

Get ready for Halloween fun with these cute witches' brew Halloween cake jars filled with layers of delicious chocolate cake and vibrant green buttercream, matching sprinkles and topped with cute fondant witch legs!

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Decorating time2

Total Time3 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: jars

Calories: 1299.9kcal

Author: Priya Maha

Equipment

Plastic or glass jars ( 3 inches in diameter and 3½ inches high)
Round cutter (3 inches in diameter)
Cake decorating brush
Sugar craft knife
Fondant modelling tools (ball tool)
Disposable piping bags
Piping star tip 1M
Cake leveler

Ingredients

Cake

330 g self raising flour
360 g granulated sugar
360 g butter
6 eggs
30 g unsweetened black cocoa powder
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
90 ml milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Buttercream frosting and Decoration

400 g butter (salted)
800 g powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon milk or cream (optional- if the buttercream is too stiff)
Electric green food coloring ( a few drops)
250 g Orange fondant
200 g Black fondant
1 tablespoon CMC powder
Sprinkles

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

The Witches' Black and Orange Fondant Legs

Knead half a tablespoon of CMC into orange fondant. Knead until it becomes soft and pliable. Roll the fondant into a long strip (approximately 5mm in diameter) to make the witches' long orange legs. (See note 2)
Cut the strip into 10 cm lengths. Repeat the process until you have 18 of these. Keep the strips covered in a container to prevent them from becoming dry as you work on them. (See note 3)
Next, roll the black fondant into a long thin strip (with an approximate diameter of 2mm to 3mm). This will form the black stripes on the orange legs. It is not necessary to add any CMC to the fondant. For easy handling, make the strips in lengths of 25cm to 30cm and roll more as you finish using them up.
Dampen the cake decorating brush (see Note 4) and brush it on the orange fondant legs where you wish to place the stripes. Start from one end, leaving about 1 cm space.
Attach the black strip to the dampened area and carefully cut off the excess.
Use your fingers to smoothen and adjust as necessary. Repeat the process until you have 5 black stripes on each leg for all the 18 legs. Keep the legs covered while you are working on the others.

The Black Fondant Shoes

Knead the remaining half tablespoon of CMC into the remaining black fondant. Knead until soft and pliable and make 18 balls (approximately 2 cm in diameter) (See note 5).
Roll each fondant ball into a short sausage. Do this one at a time, keeping the rest covered in a container.
Pinch the bottom of the sausage to make it pointy. This will form the heel of the shoe.
Next, push the right-end of the sausage upwards. Press it down slightly to make it thicker and fatter. This will be the top part the shoe.
Next, pinch the left-end of the sausage flat and curl it up slightly. This will make the pointy end of the witch shoes. If the shoe appears to fat, press it down lightly.
To make the opening for the shoe, use a small ball tool or any rounded object to make a round dent large enough to insert orange fondant leg. (See note 6).

Attaching the Shoes to the Legs

To attach the shoes to the legs, use a damp brush to lightly moisten the insides of the rounded hole in the shoes. Gently attach it to the leg and press it lightly with your fingers to secure it well.
Set the leg (with the shoe attached) on a flat surface to allow the shoe to secure firmly. Repeat the above steps until all the shoes are completed and attached to the legs. Let the legs rest overnight until they are dry and firm.

The Cake

Preheat oven to 170℃. Grease and flour one 9-inch square cake tin. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (on medium speed) for approximately 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl half way through.
Add the eggs, two at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, measure the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Mix with a hand whisk until well combined. Sift the flour mixture into the creamed ingredients in 3 batches. Alternate each batch with milk and fold well. Finally, fold in the vanilla extract.
Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Test the cake at least 5 to 10 minutes before the baking time is up by inserting a skewer or cake tester in the center of the cake. The cake is baked if the skewer comes out without any wet batter and the top of the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
Remove the cake from oven and let it rest in the tin for 2 to 3 minutes. Loosen the sides with a butter knife and turn it onto a wire rack. Use another wire rack to turn it again to face upwards. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

Place the butter into a large bowl. Cream until it is soft, smooth and creamy.
Add in the sifted powdered sugar. Mix with a spatula to moisten it before using the electric mixer to whip the buttercream. This will help prevent the sugar from flying all over when you turn on the mixer.
Add vanilla extract and beat again until it is well combined and the buttercream is all smooth. Add the milk if the buttercream is too stiff at this stage.
Add a few drops of green food coloring and mix thoroughly (see Note 7). Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with large star tip (tip 1M).

Assembling the Halloween Cake Jars

Level the top of the cake (if not level) and then slice it into half horizontally.
Use the round cutter (or one of the cake jars) to cut out 9 circles from each cake layer (see Note 8).
To assemble the Halloween cake jars, drop a spoonful of sprinkles to the bottom of the jar (see Note 9). Push them to the sides so that they are visible from the outside.
Next, gently push in the first cake layer into each jar.
And then pipe the first layer of buttercream into each jar, starting from the sides towards the center. Add more sprinkles, but only on the sides such that they are visible from the outside.
Top with another layer of the chocolate cake, followed by a final layer of buttercream. Pipe the buttercream into a large swirl.
Top the cake jars with more sprinkles, this time all over the top instead of just the sides.
Finally, use a long wooden skewer to make 2 holes in the cake jar. Poke the witch legs into the holes to complete the witches' brew Halloween cake jars.

Notes

You will need a total of 18 fondant legs (9 pairs for the 9 cake jars). These are best made at least one day ahead to give them sufficient time to set and harden, to avoid them from bending after attaching to the cakes in the jars.
Instead of rolling with your hands, you can use a fondant smoother. It helps create smooth strips without any finger marks or dents (image 2).
When working with fondant in humid environment, fondant has a tendency to become sticky and saggy and will not firm up even after leaving it to set overnight. Adding CMC powder helps. Working in an airconditioned room also helps to set them firm. Another option to deal with humidity is to insert lollipop sticks into the legs. To do this, roll the orange fondant into a long rope and then flatten it lightly (make sure the width is sufficient to wrap around a lollipop stick. Dampen the stick (with a damp brush) and wrap it with the flattened fondant.
The traces of water from the damp brush act as a glue for the fondant. However, applying too much water will cause your fondant to turn soggy and the color to bleed. When using the brush, dip it in water and then wipe it lightly in a kitchen towel before applying to fondant.
Keep the balls covered in a container as you work on them one by one. If you find them a little dry, knead again until they become smooth.
The first shoe will take a slightly longer time to make, but once you get used to the steps, you can make them at a much quicker rate.
Start with a little food coloring and mix well before adding more until you reach the desired color for the buttercream. Gel food colors are very concentrated and only require a small amount to be used.
Plan how you will cut the circles before cutting them to ensure you have enough space for 9 on each cake layer.
Adding the sprinkles to the bottom of the jar is optional. I did it because my jars were not flat at the bottom (they were slightly higher in the center) and the sprinkles were a nice way to fill the gap on the sides.

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