Name: Spider Web Cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 250 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1 cup dark cocoa powder; 1 Tablespoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 whole eggs; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 cup brewed coffee; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups (or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 7 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted; 2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream; 2-3 drops neon brite purple gel food coloring; 4 ounces black fondant; 2 cups mini marshmallows

Celebrate Halloween this year with this creepy crawly Spider Web Cake.

Halloween is an excellent time of year to experiment and step out of your comfort zone while baking and decorating cakes. Today you’ll learn how to make this surprisingly simple Spider Web Cake!

This Spider Web Cake is made with dark chocolate cake layers, creamy vanilla buttercream, melted marshmallows, and black fondant spiders.

This dark chocolate cake recipe is a crowd-pleaser and simple to make. It’s perfectly moist and is a fantastic recipe to make ahead of time and freeze.

The vanilla buttercream is made with room temperature butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. The buttercream is creamy and so fluffy, it’s colored with bright purple gel food coloring that’s ready for Halloween!

The melted marshmallow web is a surprisingly easy technique that is sure to impress. All you need is a microwavable bowl, melt mini marshmallows for 1 minute. Make sure to use gloves as you’ll pick up the slightly warm marshmallows in your hands and pull the marshmallow to create strands that look like webs. Then you’ll stretch the web over the cake.

I’ll show you step by step how to make fondant spiders that sit perfectly on the marshmallow web.

When you complete this cake, you’ll be so proud of yourself, and your friends and family will devour this cake!

Tips for Success:

Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. For three 8-inch cake layers, double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter.
In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month.
You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
If you want to get ahead, you can make the fondant spider decorations up to one week in advance and store onto a parchment-lined baking tray until ready to use.
If fondant gets too sticky, then use cornstarch or if it’s cracking, then use vegetable shortening to smooth out fondant.
Serve at room temperature and use a hot knife to make clean cake slices.

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake:

5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
three, 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans
Offset spatula
8-inch or 10-inch white cake board
Serrated knife or cake leveler
Turntable
Cake scraper or bench scraper
Whisk or sifter
Rubber Spatula
Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
Cake Stand, optional
Neon brite purple gel food coloring
4 ounces Black fondant
Silicone mat
1-2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
X-acto knife
Small paintbrush

Here’s how to make this spooky Spider Web Cake!

Let’s Get Decorating!

How to Make Fondant Spiders

On a silicone mat, knead black fondant with 1 teaspoon of vegetable shortening. Knead until smooth.

Roll fondant into a log and cut 10 pieces (5 small and 5 big). Roll the small pieces into a round ball. This is for the head of the spiders. Then roll the oversized piece into a rounded cone shape for the body.

Next, roll the leftover fondant into a long skinny rope for the legs of the spider. Cut out 4 pieces for legs per spider (2 long and 2 short pieces). Roll your fingers on the end of each rope to create pointed edges.

Use a clean paintbrush with water to attach the 4 legs (2 short and 2 long) to the body’s bottom and attach the head to the body. Set aside to dry for 1 hour on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Repeat assembly until all spiders are formed.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.

In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and the vegetable oil on low until well incorporated.

Pour in the buttermilk and add brewed coffee. Mix on medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

How to Make Creamy Vanilla Buttercream

In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla.

Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add 2-3 drops of neon brite purple gel food coloring to create a light purple buttercream.

Before using, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake).

Putting It All Together

Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the cakes’ dome to make the layers flat and even.

Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe ⅔ cup of buttercream and use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.

Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with purple buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes.

Add a thicker layer of buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides and the top as smooth as possible.

In a medium microwavable bowl, melt the mini marshmallows for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Then mix with a rubber spatula to make sure it’s all melted.

Use disposable gloves to gather a small amount of melted marshmallows in your hands. Close your hands together and slowly pull them apart, creating thin marshmallow strands.

Stretch the marshmallows over the cake to create the webs. Repeat this technique to create webs all over the cake. Spin and turn the cake and add more webs until the cake has thin marshmallows strands all over it.

Remove gloves and add the black fondant spiders to the cake. They will easily stick to the marshmallow.

Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

P.S. Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out, Cake Decorating for Beginners, my online cake program. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s important to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at KatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there!

Watch The How-to Video Below:

Print Recipe

Spider Web Cake

Soft dark chocolate cake layers with creamy vanilla buttercream, melted marshmallow web, and fondant spiders

Prep Time1

Cook Time40

Cooling/Decorating Time2 30

Total Time4 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baking, Cake Decorating, Cake Recipe

Author: Katie

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 whole eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream

2 cups (or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
2-3 drops neon brite purple gel food coloring

Decorations

4 ounces black fondant
2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

Fondant Spiders

On a silicone mat, knead black fondant with 1 teaspoon of vegetable shortening. Knead until smooth.
Roll fondant into a log and cut 10 pieces (5 small and 5 big). Roll the small pieces into a round ball. This is for the head of the spiders. Then roll the oversized piece into a rounded cone shape for the body.
Next, roll the leftover fondant into a long skinny rope for the legs of the spider. Cut out 4 pieces for legs per spider (2 long and 2 short pieces). Roll your fingers on the end of each rope to create pointed edges.
Use a clean paintbrush with water to attach the 4 legs (2 short and 2 long) to the body's bottom and attach the head to the body. Set aside to dry for 1 hour on a tray lined with parchment paper.
Repeat assembly until all spiders are formed.

Dark Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Add the eggs and the vegetable oil on low until well incorporated.
Pour in the buttermilk and add brewed coffee. Mix on medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

Vanilla Buttercream

In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla.
Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add 2-3 drops of neon brite purple gel food coloring to create a light purple buttercream.
Before using, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake).

Assemble

Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the cakes' dome to make the layers flat and even.
Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe ⅔ cup of buttercream and use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.
Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with purple buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes.
Add a thicker layer of buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides and the top as smooth as possible.
In a medium microwavable bowl, melt the mini marshmallows for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Then mix with a rubber spatula to make sure it's all melted.
Use disposable gloves to gather a small amount of melted marshmallows in your hands. Close your hands together and slowly pull them apart, creating thin marshmallow strands.
Stretch the marshmallows over the cake to create the webs. Repeat this technique to create webs all over the cake. Spin and turn the cake and add more webs until the cake has thin marshmallows strands all over it.
Remove gloves and add the black fondant spiders to the cake. They will easily stick to the marshmallow.
Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Notes

Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month.
You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
If you want to get ahead, you can make the fondant spider decorations up to one week in advance and store onto a parchment-lined baking tray until ready to use.
If fondant gets too sticky, then use cornstarch or if it's cracking, then use vegetable shortening to smooth out fondant.
Serve at room temperature and use a hot knife to make clean cake slices.