Zombie Brain Cake
A red velvet cake with marshmallow fondant and sweet raspberry "blood". This is a recipe from the Nerdy Nummies Cookbook!
Yields 1 round cake
Things you'll need
Ingredients Red Velvet Cake- 4 ounces butter, unsalted
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cups sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon red gel color
- Pan spray
- 1 tub cream cheese frosting
- 1 ¼ cup Seedless raspberry jam
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon red gel coloring
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons water
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup shortening, for greasing your hands
- Hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- 1½-quarts ovenproof glass bowl (Pyrex)
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Hand strainer
- Small pot
- Whisk
- Pastry brush
- Long serrated cake knife
- Sheet tray
- Cake stand
- Paring knife
- Small offset spatula
Let's get started!
Red Velvet Cake:- Preheat oven to 300ºF.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into butter-sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- In another small bowl, whisk together sour cream and milk.
- On a low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream mixture to butter-egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour and adding the food coloring with the first addition of liquid.
- Pour the batter into a greased, heatproof glass bowl until it is two-thirds full. You will have a little leftover batter.
- Slow-bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Let the cake cool and then remove it from the bowl. Level the top with a large knife and place the cake, flat side down on a cake plate.
- Use an offset spatula to frost the cake with a very thin layer of cream cheese frosting.
- In a small sauce pan, whisk all the ingredients except the gel color and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, mix in gel color until well combined and then remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool.
- Pour marshmallows into a microwave-safe bowl and then stir in water to evenly coat the marshmallows.
- Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Repeat this process two more times, or until the mixture is smooth.
- Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into a large bowl and make a hole in the center. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture onto the powdered sugar. Sift the rest of the powdered sugar on top of the marshmallows.
- Oil your hands to prevent the marshmallows from sticking to you. Knead in the sugar until you have the consistency of soft taffy and the fondant no longer sticks to your hands.
Time to decorate!
- Roll out the fondant into ½-inch thick ropes and arrange them on the cake to look like a brain (PICTURE at 6:18).
- Use a paintbrush to brush the raspberry blood over the fondant.
- TaDa! This brain cake will make the perfect creepy treat for your Halloween get-together!
