Floating Ghost Cupcakes

As a grand finale to my Hallo-week of special treats, I have saved the best and (perhaps) trickiest treat for last. These ghostly cupcakes were inspired by a slideshow of Halloween cupcakes on Martha Stewart's website (see the original below!). The cupcakes, which use cupcakes topped with fondant to create ghostly little desserts were too cute not to make.

The original Martha recipe calls for homemade Devil's Food cake, suggests using cupcakes topped with marshmallows as the base for the ghost bodies, and uses store-bought fondant. After reading a variation of the recipe on "Not So Idle Hands," another cooking blog, I decided to combine the two and add some of my own tricks.

I have slightly simplified the recipe by using Devil's Food cake mix, and mini cupcakes instead of marshmallows. I also decided to follow Emily's advice from "Not So Idle Hands" and make my own marshmallow fondant rather than buying expensive fondant from the store.

The recipe below is my own interpretation of the Martha and Emily combination.

The Recipe:

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 pound of marshmallows
1.5 boxes of confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup of shortening (to grease your hands and the counter)
2-5 Tablespoons of water
24 chocolate-candy-coated sunflower seeds, for eyes

First, make your marshmallow fondant several hours before the cupcakes.

Take your marshmallows and put them in a very large bowl. Sprinkle them with 3-4 Tbsps of water and microwave them 30 seconds at a time, stirring vigorously between heatings, until they are melted and smooth. Then, add the majority of your sugar and stir as much as you can. Grease a surface with lots of Crisco to prevent sticking. Also make sure you grease your hands, as you will be kneading the dough. Plop the mixture down and knead it until well incorporated. As you go along, add the rest of the sugar and as much Crisco as you need to keep it tame. Then, wrap the fondant in plastic and refrigerate for several hours.

In the meantime, carve some pumpkins, finish your costume, and start baking your cupcakes.

Make your cake mix as directed. To make the ghost bodies, you will need an equal number of large and mini cupcakes. The large cupcakes will be the bases, and the mini cupcakes will be attached for the upper part of the bodies. Let the cupcakes cool.

Once they are cool, cut the puffy tops with a sharp knife to make them level. Then, you can glue them together with either frosting or a toothpick.

After it has chilled, roll the fondant out on your counter, using cornstarch to keep it from sticking. Roll it as thin as you can without it tearing (you don't want it to be too heavy for the cupcakes). You might try breaking it up into 4 sections while rolling, to prevent them from drying out. (If it dries, microwave it for 10 seconds at a time and knead in a tiny bit more shortening.)

Now, it's time to cut out circles for the ghost capes. Use a bowl, cup, or circular object to cut circle shapes. Take the circles of fondant and drape them over the cupcake towers. Arrange it so that the folds of the cape look flowy and polished. Once done arranging the fondant, give the ghosts eyes and mouths by pressing sunflower seeds to them or by using icing to draw faces.

Let fondant harden slightly at room temperature before serving.


Check out another attempt / variation on these ghosts at :
http://www.marthastewart.com/333111/ghost-cupcakes?czone=holiday/halloween-center/halloween-center-desserts
http://notsoidlehands.blogspot.com/2009/10/spooky-cupcake-ghosties-plus-easy.html

Spooky Meringue Ghosts

Last year, I was invited to a Halloween party hosted by my boyfriend's childhood friends who I had never met. In short, I was going to a party with a bunch of people who I did not know, but wanted to impress. I decided that the best way to get to the hearts of a crowd of strangers was to seduce their stomaches with clever and delicious Halloween desserts. (This is not how I make friends usually). I needed something Halloween-y but that didn't look like I tried too hard, something simple to make with a big impact.

I settled on these adorable ghost meringues, which were a snap to make and a big success. Not only were they fun, easy, and economical, but they were also a huge hit.

This recipe, from joyofbaking.com uses few ingredients and can be whipped up--literally!--in a hurry. So, when you're looking for finger food for your guests this Halloween, look no further; these little ghosts will spook their way into stomachs and hearts.

The Recipe:

4 large egg whites (120 grams)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1/2 tsp white vinegar)

1 cup (200 grams) superfine sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar simply take 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar and process it for about 30 seconds in a food processor)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If you are lucky and have a pastry bag, fit it with a 1/2 inch plain tip. If you're doing this budget-style, take a gallon ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners. It's cheap, disposable, and you can enlarge the hole if you need to.

Use your electric mixer to beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract. You will know it is ready when it holds stiff peaks and does not feel gritty when rubbed between your fingers ("grit" is undissolved sugar).

Before placing the meringue ghosts on the cookie sheet, place a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the parchment paper, which prevents the paper from sliding. Transfer the meringue to the pastry bag and, holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, pipe 2 inch high mounds of meringue. Working in a beehive shape is best. You can also make your ghosts smaller if you like.

For eyes, you can use candy eyes, mini chocolate chips, or icing. If doing candy or chip eyes, place them in now. If doing icing, wait until cooled.

Bake the meringues for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until they are dry and crisp to the touch, but not so that they brown. Turn off the oven, open the door, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours, or even overnight.

The Meringue Ghosts will keep several days at room temperature--if they last, that is!



Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/halloweenrecipes/MeringueGhosts.html#ixzz1bZv6pkiF