"Can you make a BLACK marshmallow spiderweb cake?"
We've all seen the black-frosted cakes covered in white melted-marshmallow spiderwebs.
But what if you wanted to use a different color cake...? Could the marshmallow mix be colored black and still behave like it's supposed to...?
That was the question that needed an answer this year! Not only are we headed into spooky season - but this year, I have a little kitchen helper! My now 3-year-old has become obsessed with helping mama in the kitchen. This cake design was right up her alley. So it was time to recipe test our way to an answer!
The short answer - yes you can!
We melted down a bag of marshmallows, and added black cocoa powder and black food coloring in alternating small portions until the mixture was the deep black that I wanted. It behaved almost exactly like the regular white melted mixture.
That said, I learned a couple things! -
- Marshmallows don't have a super strong flavor of their own. So the melted down marshmallow mix will pick up the cocoa powder and food dye flavors pretty quickly. Use the food dye sparingly if you're not a fan of the bitter-black-dye-taste.
- The mixture doesn't actually stain (table / hands / clothes) the way that I thought it would. That said, it can discolor fabrics/surfaces if left too long. User beware - especially if you're like me and working with little kiddos!
Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!
Black Marshmallow Spiderweb Cake
Want a super simple Halloween cake - or an EASY way to Halloween-ify a store-bought cake? The black marshmallow spiderweb is the way to go!
Ingredients
- 1 Frosted cake (size / color of your choice) - here's my favorite vanilla cake recipe and my favorite frosting recipe if you need ideas!
- 5 ounces marshmallows Regular or mini marshmallows are both fine. (I melted down an entire 10oz bag and had more than enough mixture for 2 8-inch cakes.)
- 2-4 Tablespoons black cocoa powder
- 2-4 large drops Black gel food color (add as desired for color - just be aware the more you add the more 'food color' taste you'll get)
Instructions
- If not done already, stack cake layers + frost your cake - see this post if you could use any help at this stage! (This will also work with a store-bought cake.)
- Place cake into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes - chilled frosting will be less likely to melt when the warm marshmallow touches it.
- Place marshmallows into a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until melted and smooth. (Be aware they'll probably puff up while they're melting - we almost overflowed the bowl and made a mess.)
- Add 2 Tablespoons of black cocoa powder and 2 large drops of black gel color, and stir until well blended and even. If you're happy with the color, perfect! If it still looks too light, add an addition 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder + 2 drops of gel color until you're happy with the color. (Be aware the marshmallow doesn't have a lot of its own flavor and will pick up the 'food color' flavor fairly quickly. The cocoa powder will help, but taste as you go if you're worried about it getting too strong.)
- Microwaves vary, so be careful at this step! Our mixture didn't have to cool long, but it was uncomfortable to touch for about 5 minutes after we'd finished mixing. Allow to cool until touch-able.
- Remove cake from the fridge, and scoop some of the marshmallow mixture from the bowl (you could use gloves for easier cleanup; I just didn't have any on hand.) Spread and stretch the mixture until it's thin and spider-web-like, and stretch the web over the cake. Repeat this process until the web covers the entire cake!
Video
Notes
Please note nutrition information just includes the marshmallow 'web,' as nutrition information will vary massively with size / type of cake decorated. Counts will also be lower in all fields if not all of the mixture is used.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 156kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 4gFat: 5g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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