Spooky Chocolate Cake with Meringue Ghosts

Spooky? Check. Cute? Check. Delicious? Check, check, check! This boo-tiful cake is a fun Halloween treat to make this month. Just pick your favorite chocolate cake and top with the cutest meringue ghosts.

Up until this point in my life, I have avoided meringue. Not sure why, but probably due to the unknown. When it comes to desserts, I prefer sweet, chocolate, and/or frosting. So when it came to making these cute little meringue ghosts, it was the first time I made and ate meringue. For these adorable little ghouls, you’ll want to use French meringue.

French Meringue Ghosts

I saw the inspiration for this ghostly cake on Pinterest. There were so many cakes, all adorable, but most of the blogs were in French or Spanish. I was trying to find out what the ghosts were made of. The English blogs created the ghosts with whipped cream, but these other ghosts were different. They were cleaner, crisper.

I sifted through one of the French blogs to see if I could find a clue for the ghosts. My high school French did not let me down. Luckily, meringue en Français est Meringue! While searching for a meringue recipe, I realized there are three main types of meringue: French, Italian, and Swiss. French meringue is classic and simplest to make. It’s crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. It’s stiff and easy to pipe.

For the cake, choose your favorite cake and frosting. Bake the cake and let cool. For the French meringue, I used this recipe from The Kitchn. I added the meringue to a piping bag and make large meringue kisses. I used a wide tip, but it was not wide enough. So I just cut off the end of the bag and piped without a tip. Bake according to the directions and let them cool completely. I used black food gel for the eyes and mouths, and arranged them on the cake. To make some of them fit in the front, I carved out little divets.

I wanted to use dry ice for a spooky effect. Unfortunately, I could not find a place open that could provide a block, so I improvised. Peep the humidifier in this shot.