If you want a fun recipe for Halloween, this one’s a no brainer! TikTok star Ryan Paturzo from Buzzfeed’s ‘Tasty Oz’ shows how to make this spooky brain cake that has been going wild online.
Bloody Mud Cake Brain
Ingredients –
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2 store bought mud cakes
1 cup tinned cherries, drained
Frosting
500g butter, room temperature
6 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 drop food gel Blood 1 cup strawberry jam 1/4 cup water 1 drop red food gel
Method –
STEP 1. To make the “blood”, add the jam with red food gel to a bowl, then incrementally add the water and stir until completely mixed, then set aside.
Note: The “blood” should be runny and a deep red colour. If more water is needed due to jam consistency, add more until you reach the desired result.
STEP 2. To make the pink buttercream frosting, add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, then using the paddle attachment, beat for 5 minutes until it becomes fluffy. Incrementally add the icing sugar one cup at a time, then beat again until fully incorporated.
After you’ve added all the icing sugar, continue beating the mixture for 5 minutes to create volume. Add in one drop of red food gel, and fold with a spatula until your buttercream turns pink. Add the buttercream frosting to piping bags then set aside.
Note: Start with one drop of food gel, as it is stronger than food colouring. You can always add more later.
STEP 3. Lay a mud cake on a surface, then using a spoon, hollow out the centre about 1/2 inch deep and 3 inches wide. Fill the hole with cherries and a few tablespoons of “blood”. Pipe a ring of pink frosting around the hole and the edge of the cake.
STEP 4. Lay the second mud cake on top facing down so that the top layers meet, then using a knife, cut the cake into the rough shape of a brain. Once you’ve reached your desired shape, use your hands to press the mud cake into a smooth, and rounded brain shape.
Note: Mudcake has a sticky and dense texture, so it’s easy to mould with your hands. STEP 5. Cut the tip of the filled piping bag to make a hole about 1cm wide, then coat the entire surface of the cake with the pink buttercream frosting and scrape it flat to lock the crumbs in. STEP 6. To create the veins of the brain, pipe the frosting around the cake in squiggle formations. The trick is to keep the squizggles nice and close together so they touch side by side and leave no gaps. Continue decorating the cake until it’s completely covered, then place on a serving tray. STEP 7. When it’s ready to serve, drizzle the “blood” over the brain cake and enjoy!