Cake Boss Zombie Cake

Those of us who follow the cake shows on cable are probably familiar with the Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.On his TLC show, he created an amazing Zombie Cake and we have a simplifed version for you to make!

Check out this video to see a clip of the episode where he fashioned a ghoulish gateau.

DIY Zombie Cake

The truly incredible thing about the Cake Boss' Zombie Cake that Buddy from Carlo's Bakery made is that everything is edible. But, this doesn't have to be the case for your Zombie Cake. In fact, you can create a grand grave display using non-edible Halloween decorations for the tombstone and even some of the body parts, and make the head the actual cake.

Materials:

*Read all the steps before purchasing these materials to determine the amounts and sizes needed for your custom cake display.

• Fake tombstone decoration
• Ball-shaped cake pan
• Pound cake batter (amount to fill pans) tinted with red food coloring
• Round cardboard cake board
• -inch plywood rectangle
• 5 cans chocolate frosting (may need more)
• @ 8 cups crushed Oreo cookies
• Prepared white fondant
• Icing colors to tint the zombie skin
• Candy eyeballs or body parts based on your design

Steps:

1. Start by purchasing a faux tombstone and a ball-shaped cake pan for the head. The goal is to find a tombstone and a ball pan that are in scale to each other. Wilton has a couple of 3-D pans that would work; a 6-inch diameter ball pan and an 8 3/4 x 5 3/8 egg pan set. Or you could stack cakes and sculpt a head.
2. Bake your cake using sturdy pound cake batter (like the Cake Boss did), but we suggest tinting it red with food coloring for a gory effect. If you are using a cake ball pan set, ice the cake halves with frosting and put them together. Place the cake on a round cardboard cake board; trim the bottom if necessary so it stands nice and level. Ice the entire ball and put it in the fridge while you prepare the display.
3. Use a large piece of -inch plywood as the base for the display. Figure out where you want the tombstone to be placed and cake zombie head to be in relation to it. Set the tombstone aside until you are ready for the final assembly on the cake table. Ice the surface of the plywood with chocolate frosting and sprinkle crushed Oreo cookie crumbs on top to resemble dirt.
4. About 5 minutes into the Cake Boss video, his genius really kicks in where he takes greenish-gray fondant strips and covers the cake head, ripping them to look like rotting flesh. Tint prepared white fondant to your desired zombie skin tone using icing colors mixed into the fondant. Roll out a large sheet of fondant and drape it over the cake head as a base. For tips on working with fondant, read this article and watch me in this fun video.
5. Roll out more fondant and rip strips to make the rotting flesh. Fashion the zombie head to your liking, making indentations for the eye sockets and then sticking candy eyes inside. Or visit a party shop and look for plastic light-up eyeballs! Mold features like the nose and ears out of fondant as if it were clay.
6. Place the cake head on the chocolate frosted plywood and ice the cake board to cover it; sprinkle cookie crumbs over the icing. Add accents like a fake hand, gummy worms, and whatever else to make your grave totally gross.
7. Mix up some "blood" using corn syrup and red food coloring. Put it in a plastic needle nose bottle and squirt it all over the zombie head as a finishing touch just like the Cake Boss did!
8. Set the plywood with your zombie head on the cake table. Put the tombstone in its place and make sure its sturdy. Invite all over for on Halloween and enjoy a little Zombie Cake and coffee.