Boo Brownie Cake

Halloween may not be my holiday, but I love an excuse to bake. Things have been super busy. In the wee hours, I scroll through Pinterest and tap my husband's shoulder to show him all the cool baking ideas that inspire me.  I don't bake to eat cake and cookies (though that's not a bad perk). It's more of an accessible creative outlet. Hence, I was tickled pink by a pink ghost cake from Erin Bakes.

A pretty idea that is a welcome deviation from the usual purple, green, and orange!  Use any color pattern you desire and have fun with the ghosts. As you can see, I toyed with different variations.

The base can be any flavor cake that you desire. You could make a boozy cake for an adult party or keep it sweet with kid-friendly flavors. And lots of sprinkles.  I went with a brownie for an office party because it can but cut and served on a napkin, no silverware necessary!

Glam it up and get creative! Happy Hallow's Eve!

Boo Brownie Cake
inspired by Erin Bakes, "Brushstroke Ghost Halloween Cake"

Brownie
Use your favorite 9x13 brownie recipe
Sprinkles of your choice

I personally love the Fudge Brownies from King Arthur Flour. I like to sneak in 2 teaspoons of espresso powder.

Bake brownie and allow to cool completely.

Swiss Buttercream
from Smitten Kitchen

3 egg whites
3/4 cups sugar
18 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks will work), room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of pink food coloring or a splash of red juice (raspberry, strawberry, cherry, or pomegranate could work)

Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a big metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.

Transfer mixture into the mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in size. Tip: when you transfer to the mixer, make sure you wipe the condensation off the bottom of the bowl so that no water gets into the egg whites. This can keep them from whipping up properly. Add the vanilla.

Finally, add the butter a stick at a time and whip until smooth.

Ghosts

A handful of melting white chocolate (~1/3 cup)
Drop of black food coloring

Melt the chocolate. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper. Using a regular metal spoon, dollop a circle of white chocolate to about a quarter size to form the head of the ghost. Using the back of the spoon, make gently strokes form the "head" of the ghost to create its body. Play with the style that you prefer - I ended up loving the more "pac-man" looking boos.

Place on flat baking sheet and let harden in freezer, about 14 minutes. 

Using a thin paint brush or toothpick, dip in food coloring and dot the eyes.