Halloween is getting more and more popular in Europe. There are scary walking tours, amusement parks have Halloween themed days, the shop are filled to the brim with costumes, creepy accessories and tons of Halloween candy.
Our boys love Halloween. The creepier the better. Which means we happily go along with all that Halloween craziness. But we keep it fairly low key. Just a few accessories in the house, a little bit of candy and we might just go on ones of those scary walking tours.
Birthday
Our youngest celebrates his birthday in October and last year, he wanted his party and the birthday cake all Halloween themed. I happily obliged. The treats for his class mates were Halloween themed as well: orange pumpkin and white ghost cupcakes.
The rules for the school treats are quite strict. No chocolate, whipped or buttercream, no candy. Preferably fruit, cake, waffles or cookies. But we try to make it something special anyway. Hence the Halloween themed cupcakes (no frosting), our oldest brought personalised cookies.
This year’s birthday cake had to be a Pokémon cake. So that’s what we did. With edible Pokéballs on top.
Surprise inside
But what should we bring to school? That had to be Halloween treats again. Even though we’re not supposed to use whipped cream, chocolate or buttercream, no one said anything about using a little bit of colour. Inspired by the Surprise Inside Cakes by I Am Baker, I came up with this Halloween Surprise Inside Cake. It’s actually very easy to make, but the effect is huge: those eyes when you slice the cake and they see what’s inside. Priceless.
What do you need?
500 g unsalted butter
350 g sugar
7 eggs (L)
2 tsp vanilla extract
400 g flour
2 tsp baking powder
Extra: food colouring
What do you need to do?
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whip the butter with the sugar until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
Add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
Take about 1/3 of the batter out and transfer to another bowl.
Add the desired colouring for the surprise inside and mix until you have an even colour.
Pour the batter on the prepared baking sheet and smooth out. You can simply pour it on the baking sheet (like I did with the orange one) of use a baking dish or a mold (like I did with the black one).
Bake ca. 10 minutes.
Take out of the oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, grease a cake tin and/or line it with parchment paper.
If desired, you can colour the rest of the batter as well.
Once the sheet cake has cooled enough to handle, cut out the forms. I have used a bat cookie cutter of one cake and a pumpkin cookie cutter for the other cake. But you can use any shape you like.
Put a bit of batter in the bottom of the cake tin.
Now carefully place all cut out pieces in a straight line on the dough layer. Lightly press it down.
Fill up with the remaining batter.
Bake ca. 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing.
The funniest thing happened with the coloured batches for school. The surprise inside turned 180°, so the bats hung upside down. Well, they tasted great anyway and the kids? They LOVED it!
Enjoy and have a spooky Halloween!

Halloween Surprise Cake
Ingredients
- 500 g unsalted butter
- 350 g sugar
- 7 eggs (L)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 400 g flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Extra: food colouring
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Whip the butter with the sugar until creamy.
-
Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
-
Add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
-
Take about 1/3 of the batter out and transfer to another bowl.
-
Add the desired colouring for the surprise inside and mix until you have an even colour.
-
Pour the batter on the prepared baking sheet and smooth out. You can simply pour it on the baking sheet or use a baking dish or a mold.
-
Bake ca. 10 minutes.
-
Take out of the oven and let cool slightly.
-
Meanwhile, grease a cake tin and/or line it with parchment paper.
-
If desired, you can colour the rest of the batter as well.
-
Once the sheet cake has cooled enough to handle, cut out the forms.
-
Put a bit of batter in the bottom of the cake tin.
-
Now carefully place all cut out pieces in a straight line on the dough layer. Lightly press it down.
-
Fill up with the remaining batter.
-
Bake ca. 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
-
Let cool completely before slicing.
Kreanimo
October 19, 2017Whaaaaa. Kei cool.
Inthe heeft vandaag slagroom en snoep gehad bij een jarige… so much voor strikte regels…
Nicole
October 19, 2017Er wordt nochtans toch flink op gehamerd, ach…
Cynthia
October 19, 2017Volgens mij is deze cake echt verrukkelijk!!
Nicole
October 19, 2017Echt wel! 😉
nicole orriens
October 20, 2017Wat een superleuke cake zo met zo’n spinnetje er in! Echt bijzonder!
Nicole
October 20, 2017Kinderen vonden de verrassing van binnen echt helemaal te gek 🙂
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh
October 20, 2017I am always totally amazed seeing cakes like this. I’ve seen a number of different surprises in the center, and every time I wonder if I’d have the patients.
Nicole
October 21, 2017I’m not a very patient either, but this really is easier and faster than you’d think 🙂
Roelina Jut
October 20, 2017Wat enorm leuk zeg! Ik ben niet zo’n keueknprinses, maar dit moet toch lukken. Erg grappig. Hou wel van zon gekkigheidje.
Nicole
October 21, 2017Lukt zeker, deze is echt makkelijker dan je zou denken. En het effect is groots!
Adriana Lopez Martin
October 21, 2017How cool is that have seen the ones with hearts bur making them with bats is so much fun, It also looks very moist and yummy I need a slice
Nicole
October 21, 2017Thank you, the boys thought the bats were very cool 🙂
Carlee
October 21, 2017What a fun idea! I love halloween treats and this one is just as cute as can be!
Nicole
October 21, 2017Thank you, Carlee!
Andree-Anne @ singly scrumptious
October 21, 2017What a clever way to still have a fun, and showstopper cake, without violating the school’s rule. I’m a strong believer that constraints are creativity’s best friends. Looks spooky delicious 🙂
Nicole
October 21, 2017Thank you ! And totally agree, I will always try to find a way to get around any constraints given. Sometimes, the very best ideas come bubbling to the surface 🙂
Kylee from Kylee Cooks
October 21, 2017What an adorable idea! I haven’t tried to make hidden surprises inside cakes before, but it looks so fun! I love the upside down bats!
Nicole
October 21, 2017Thank you! I’m still baffled how that happened. Maybe the temperature in the oven or something, warmer at the back that made that side cook faster. No clue. Well, the kids thought it was hilarious 😉
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife
October 22, 2017These look so adorable! What a fun cake for Halloween! You are so talented in making these!
Nicole
October 22, 2017Oh, thank you Marlynn!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
October 22, 2017This is such a marvelous idea to make the surprise cake. This will definitely bring a smile on everyone’s face. I have never made these kinds of stuffed cakes before. I should try some soon to make my kids happy!
Nicole
October 22, 2017Kids love it! The boys thought this was the coolest cake ever 😉
Calleigh Keibler
October 22, 2017This looks so much fun to tackle. This will make my kid happy seeing this spooky, Halloween cake.
Nicole
October 22, 2017It’s so much fun, cutting the cake and seeing those faces 🙂
Veena Azmanov
October 22, 2017That looks so cool. The kids would be all over these slices for sure. It does look like a lot of work but so cool and well worth it I’m sure. You did a great job.
Nicole
October 22, 2017Thanks so much! It’s really doable, not too much work. And yes, it’s definitely worth it 🙂
swathi
October 23, 2017Yes Halloween is favorite festival for my kids too They too want some spooky treats. I like your Halloween surprise cake. Best part is that they can put it easily and make and wonderful treats.
Nicole
October 23, 2017Thank you! It really comes together quite fast and the lids do love it.
Christine
October 23, 2017This is such a great idea for halloween! And it looks delicious. So fun and perfect!
Nicole
October 23, 2017Thank you, Christine!
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen
October 23, 2017Everything looks great, so festive and perfect for a Halloween gathering. I particularly like the bat cutouts and the colored cake.
Nicole
October 23, 2017Thanks so much! The bats were definitely favorite here as well 🙂
Nathalie - Volgmama
October 23, 2017Wauw wat gaaf! Vroeg mij al af hoe je er een vormpje in kreeg. Mysterie opgelost 😉
Nicole
October 23, 2017Dank je! Haha, fijn dat ik een mysterie uit de doeken kon doen 😉
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
October 23, 2017What an adorably spooky cake. I am amazed at the creativity of it!! I bet your little one will love the idea. Halloween is such a children’s season that I think we enjoy participating in. I remember making special birthday cakes for my little ones — it was work but so satisfying.
Nicole
October 23, 2017Thank you, Marisa! It is a lot of work at times, but very rewarding, seeing those happy faces 🙂
Carmen
October 23, 2017How cool! There is nothing quite like having a fun Halloween themed birthday! I love the idea of the spooky surprise. 🙂
Nicole
October 23, 2017Thanks a lot, Carmen!
Catherine
October 23, 2017I absolutely love this idea! How creative and fun!
Nicole
October 23, 2017Thank you, Catherine!
ElsaR
October 25, 2017Wat gaaf zeg! Het ziet er echt lekker uit! ☻
Nicole
October 25, 2017Dank je, Elsa!
Agness of Run Agness Run
October 25, 2017Wow! This cake seems so finger-licking and awesome. I don’t know that if I make it it will turn so perfect! What kind of flour do you use?
Nicole
October 25, 2017Thank you, Agness! I use regular all purpose flour, no special brand.
Mijn mama momenten
October 27, 2017Heel leuk gedaan. En je kunt het zo in elk thema maken. Leuk idee, ga ik zeker een keer maken met de meiden.
Nicole
October 27, 2017Inderdaad heel makkelijk aan te passen. Vaak zijn het hartjes, maar je kunt echt van alles maken. Zo leuk om met de kinderen te doen.
Fleur | MizFlurry
October 30, 2017Ik wip nog even langs via het herfstblogfeestje. Wat een gave dingen in deze blogpost zeg! Die taarten, maar ook de cake is geweldig! Bedankt voor het meedoen 🙂
Nicole
October 30, 2017Dank je wel, Fleur! En wat leuk dat je even langskomt! Doe altijd graag mee met het blogfeestje 🙂
Anniek
November 12, 2017Zoo wat een toffe cakes zijn dit geworden! Zo wordt trakteren toch wel heel stoer. Ik vind de cake met kleur ook wel leuke inspiratie voor de komende 2e verjaardag van mijn meisje. En oh my die taarten zijn net kunstwerkjes!
Nicole
November 13, 2017Oh, lief, dank je wel! Je kan werkelijk alle kanten uit met zo’n verrassingscake. En het effect is echt groots als je de cake aansnijdt. Te leuk, die blije gezichtjes 🙂
ThuisDecoraties
October 2, 2019Ik vind dit artikel echt goed gemaakt, ben wel happy deze post te zijn tegengekomen. Thumbs up! Gr
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