Halloween Cake Decorating Ideas

No bones about it—Halloween baking doesn’t have to be difficult! This graveyard cake is both spooky and tasty. For the decorations, pipe meringue into bone shapes and bake to set.

With bright orange frosting and chocolate wafer jack-o'-lanterns, this cake can be as friendly—or as frightening—as you'd like. To make, simply frost a layer cake with orange icing, put the remainder of the icing into a cake-decorating bag fitted with a 1 or 2 tip, and pipe faces onto the cookies. Place the jack-o'-lantern creations on top of and around the base of your Halloween cake.

With its gumdrop stem, pumpkin shape, and pumpkin flavor, this cake both looks and tastes like Halloween. Rolled-out gumdrops create the cute vines and leaves.

Editor's Tip: Roll out black gumdrops, cut into triangle shapes, and assemble on the Halloween cake to create an edible jack-o'-lantern, or use a tube of chocolate frosting to pipe on the final touches.

This cat cake is like a Halloween brownies, but in cake form. And with the brownies and ice cream used to create this cake, the black cat won't be the only one grinning. Use green apple-flavor twist candy for whiskers, gumballs for eyes, and sweet orange and yellow dyed fondant for the Halloween cake’s signature black cat grin.

With a cake body and rolled wafer cookie legs, this Halloween spider cake is more likely to make your guests feel delightful than frightful. Use licorice, chocolate pieces, and other candies to create the creepy crawler's face.

Halloween Baking Hack: Use a store-bought chocolate cake to cut your kitchen time in half. 

This scary skull cake may startle your guests because it's rolling in worms, but this sweet treat is still worth a try. And with our free pattern, you won't have to be a mad scientist to concoct this Halloween cake.

Simple yet classic, this Halloween cake welcomes fall and all of your holiday guests. Use stenciled chocolate cutouts for the fallen leaves, and a dusting of confectioners' sugar to add a special little sparkle.

This Halloween cake is both magical and delicious. Fit for any wizard or witch to come your way, this hat is created using five layers of cake, a sugar cone, and plenty of chocolate frosting.

This cheesecake has a Halloween disguise: shards of orange candy coating, whipped dessert topping, and plenty of sprinkles. Who says Halloween baking has to involve an oven?

Transform a round layer cake from ordinary to extraordinary just in time for Halloween by using chocolate frosting and lollipops. To make, trim lollipop sticks so the candy portion peeks out just over the edge of the cake. Next, remove wrappers and press into the side of the Halloween cake to create a festive and whimsical edge.

Every goblin at the party will have their eye on this Halloween pie. Pudding-filled tart shells decorated with fruit and licorice create the focal point of your monster bash.

Editor's Tip: To turn up the fright level, serve the eyeball pie on a place mat of purple monster fur.

What this Halloween cake lacks in fright it makes up for in design. To make, use a fork to trace wavy lines into the frosting, then top the cake with candied orange slices.

Editor's Tip: Add an extra Halloween touch by piping Happy Halloween or Boo! on the sides or top of the cake with a tube of orange frosting.

This Halloween cake is sure to be a hit at your next ghouls-only bash. You don't even have to know magic to master the signature swirls of this sweet pumpkin cheesecake treat. Simply pour the two flavors over each other—pumpkin, then cream cheese mixture—and swirl with a table knife.

Two stacked angel food cakes (tinted with green food coloring) create this wicked witch's face, which is decorated with dyed green frosting and other tasty treats. Use frosting as an adhesive to attach eyes, warts, a candy peanut nose, and licorice eyebrows and mouth to the Halloween cake. Slice fruit strips for hair, then top with a witch-worthy hat from the crafts store.

With the help of candies and plenty of orange frosting, this monster face cake has enough personality to go around. To turn up the fright level, decorate one side of the cake with a scary face and the other side with a silly face. The split personality turns this Halloween cake into a spooky centerpiece, as well as a tempting dessert.

This spooky spiced Halloween cake holds tricks and treats for all of your goblins and guests. Enjoy the sugar and spice in both the cake's recipe and the festive decorations.

These Halloween cakes may be miniature, but they still pack spooky punch. Jack-o'-lantern gingersnap faces top creamy mini pumpkin cheesecakes for a yummy flavor pairing—and a cute table display! Use Halloween-theme cupcake liners for even more festive flair.

When it comes to cupcake decorating ideas, we've got you covered for fall. Whether you're looking strictly for Halloween cupcake recipes or an autumn-inspired treat with acorns or fall colors, you need to try out each of these seven recipes at some point this season.