Day of the Dead Cake

A skull-shaped cake for Day of the Dead celebrations.

5 from 1 vote

Day of the Dead Cake, a delicious vanilla sponge cake in the shape of a skull topped with vanilla cream cheese buttercream frosting and decorated with vibrant icing, a great treat for Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. It’s a quick and easy recipe that never fails to impress, and when it comes to decorating the cake, the sky is the limit in terms of designs, as it enables you to unleash your creative side.

Prep Time40

Cook Time25

Cooling Time1

Total Time2 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: cake

Calories: 4893kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

For the sponge

250 g self-raising flour ( 2 cups)
200 g granulated sugar ( 1 cup)
225 g butter, soft (1 cup)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the frosting

75 g butter, soft ( ⅓ cup)
150 g icing sugar (1 cup)
1 tablespoon milk
60 g cream cheese (½ cup)
writing icing to decorate

Instructions

To make the sponge, add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to cream them together.
Add the eggs one by one mixing well after every addition.
Sift in the flour, add the baking powder and vanilla extract, and mix again to get a smooth batter.
Grease and flour a skull-shaped cake tin, and spread the batter evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Once the sponge is ready, allow it to cool down completely before removing it from the tin.
To make the frosting, add all the ingredients - except the writing icing - to a blender and blitz until smooth.
Remove the sponge from the tin, cover it with the vanilla frosting, and decorate with the writing icing.

Video

Notes

It is crucial to allow the sponge to cool down completely before decorating it with icing, as otherwise you will end up with a big mess - the frosting will be way too runny.
As for decorating, it is entirely up to you what you use - writing icing, edible sugar decorations, sprinkles, you name it.
If you do not have a skull-shaped tin, you can bake the sponge in a regular cake tin and use a sharp knife to shape it into a skull.

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