This spooky graveyard cake is a fun way to decorate a cake for Halloween. The base of the cake is a Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting. It’s decorated with adorable strawberry ghosts and easy-to-make cookie graveyards.
I created this Halloween cake to have a charmingly spooky look. I went with a cute snowy graveyard scene with candy pumpkins and a dusting of confectioner sugar. Initially, I created this cake for California Strawberries, and it’s so cute that I had to share it here, too!
Serve this at a Halloween pumpkin carving party, movie night, or a fun Halloween ghost-themed dinner. Check out all of my spooky Halloween desserts and Halloween party snacks!
How to Make a Graveyard Cake
I love using this recipe for my simple pumpkin snacking as the base of this cake. You can use a boxed cake, like I do with my pistachio cake recipe. However, this recipe is delicious and easy to make.
I’ll cover everything you need to know to make this cake. You can scroll to the recipe card below for measurements.
Supplies
- Large Bowl
- 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan
- Rubber Spatula
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake Ingredients
Brown Sugar – I use dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar will work too.
Large Eggs
Pumpkin Puree – Libby’s canned pumpkin is perfect for this recipe.
Olive Oil – Use good quality olive oil and if you don’t have that, canola oil or vegetable oil will work.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – You can make your own pumpkin pie spice using my recipe.
Cardamom – One of my favorite fall spices, it adds a delicious flavor.
All-Purpose Flour – I like to use King Arther flour. If you’re not using a kitchen scale, measure correctly.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda – These two ingredients work together to create a fluffy cake.
Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla for this recipe.
Maple Buttercream Frosting
Confectioners Sugar – Also known as powdered sugar. This is used in the frosting and for a “snow” dusting over the cake.
Unsalted Butter – Use good quality, pure butter and ensure it’s room temperature.
Ground Cinnamon
Heavy Cream
Maple Syrup
Strawberry Ghost
California Strawberries
White Candy Melts or White Chocolate – Melted
Chocolate Chips – Classic semisweet chocolate chips melted work great.
Halloween Graveyard Dirt Cake Toppings
Milano Cookies – These make great tombstone cookies. To write RIP on the cookies, you can use melted chocolate chips, a piping bag, or an edible marker.
Candy Corn Pumpkins – You can find these at your local grocery store during Halloween.
Oreo Crumbs – To make Oreo cookie crumbs, use a food processor and pulse until you achieve a crumb texture, or add Oreos into a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
Fresh Herbs – I love adding a little new green to make the cake look even more realistic. Mint, thyme, and sage are great for this.
Candy Bones – If you can find white chocolate candy bones, those are also great to add to this cake. I did
Directions
Now that we have all of our ingredients ready let’s jump into making this delicious Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting!
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating up, prepare an 8×8 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and generously buttering it.
Step 2: Mix the Eggs and Brown Sugar
Whisk the eggs and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. This will create a light and pale mixture.
Step 3: Add in Pumpkin Puree and Olive Oil
To the egg mixture, add in the pumpkin puree, olive oil, vanilla extract, spices (pumpkin pie spice and ground cardamom), and salt. Whisk everything together until well combined.
Step 4: Fold in Dry Ingredients
Next, add in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Carefully fold everything together until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
Step 5: Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan and frosting.
Step 6: Make the Maple Buttercream Frosting
While your cake is baking and cooling, it’s time to make the delicious maple buttercream frosting! In an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter and confectioners sugar on high until light and fluffy. Then, add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and whip on high for about 5 minutes. If your frosting becomes too thin or curdles, add in more confectioner sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
Step 7: Create the Strawberry Ghosts
To make the cute strawberry ghosts that will top your cake, melt white candy melts or chocolate chips in a bowl. Dip California strawberries into the melted chocolate and dry them on parchment paper. Once they are dry, melt some milk chocolate chips and use a piping bag or plastic bag with a small hole cut in the tip to create eyes and a mouth for your ghosts.
Step 8: Assemble the Cake
Once your cake has cooled completely, spread the maple buttercream frosting over the top. Add crushed chocolate cookies on top for a “graveyard” effect. Place your strawberry ghosts and other decorations on top of the cake, and then finish it off with a dusting of powdered sugar to resemble snow.
Step 9: Serve and Enjoy!
Your Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting is now ready to be served and enjoyed! Cut yourself a slice, grab a cup of hot apple cider, and cozy up with your loved ones to enjoy this delicious fall treat.
Alternatives and Tips
- Use a box cake mix for a quick and easy recipe. I prefer a chocolate cake mix or a pumpkin cake for a Halloween cake.
- This cake can also be made in a bundt pan for a more elegant presentation.
- Feel free to get creative with your decorations and toppings. You can use different Halloween candy, cookies, candies, Halloween sprinkles, or spooky decorations from fondant or marzipan.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own by combining cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg.
- Make this cake gluten-free by substituting all-purpose flour with gluten-free baking flour.
How to Store
If you have any leftovers (which is unlikely because this cake is so delicious), you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze this cake without the candy and strawberries for up to 3 months.
Bring it to room temperature before serving for the best taste and texture.
Unique Graveyard Toppings for a Cake
If you want to take your Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting to the next level, here are some unique graveyard toppings that will surely impress your guests:
- Use black licorice sticks or chocolate-covered pretzel rods as tree trunks.
- Crushed Oreo cookies mixed with green food coloring can create a spooky “moss” effect on the cake.
- Use black and orange M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces to create a colorful border around the cake.
- Create “dirt” by crumbling chocolate cookies on top of the frosting, then add gummy worms for a playful touch.
- Cut out spooky shapes from rolled fondant or pie crust, bake until crispy, and use them as creepy tombstones on your cake.
- Use fresh mint or edible flowers from the garden, and powdered sugar for a snow-dusting effect.
These are just a few ideas but feel free to get creative and develop your unique toppings. The possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating a Halloween-themed cake!
The origins of cemetery cake, or graveyard cake, can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. During this festival, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off evil spirits.
As Christianity spread, the holiday became known as All Saints’ Day, but many traditions from Samhain were still incorporated.
One such tradition was honoring the dead by leaving food offerings on graves, including cakes and other baked goods.
Over time, this evolved into creating elaborate graveyard-themed desserts for All Saints’ Day celebrations.
Today, cemetery cake has become a popular Halloween treat and is often served at parties or enjoyed as a fun activity for children to decorate. It’s a delicious way to honor the history and traditions of Halloween.
More Spooky Halloween Desserts
If you love this graveyard cake, you’ll love these recipes too:
- Halloween Pretzel Rods
- Easy Chocolate Ghost Trifles
- Halloween Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter Mummy Rice Krispies
- Black Velvet Cupcakes
Let me know if you make this spooky graveyard cake by leaving a comment and review below! I hope this cake makes an appearance at your next Halloween party!
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Pumpkin Graveyard Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Ghost
- 5 large strawberries
- 1 cup white candy melts, or white chocolate chips melted
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin pureé
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
Graveyard Cake Toppings
- 5 Milano® Cookies
- 6 Candy Corn pumpkins
- fresh herbs and edible flowers
- confectioners sugar , for snow dusting
- 8 Oreo cookies, crushed
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating up, prepare an 8×8 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and generously buttering it.
- Whisk the eggs and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. This will create a light and pale mixture.
- Add the pumpkin puree, olive oil, vanilla extract, spices (pumpkin pie spice and ground cardamom), and salt to the egg mixture. Whisk everything together until well combined.
- Next, add in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Carefully fold everything together until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan and frosting.
- While your cake is baking and cooling, make the delicious maple buttercream frosting! In an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter and confectioners sugar on high until light and fluffy.
- Then, add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and whip on high for about 5 minutes. If your frosting becomes too thin or curdles, add in more confectioner sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- To make the cute strawberry ghosts that will top your cake, melt white candy melts or chocolate chips in a bowl. Dip California strawberries into the melted chocolate and dry them on parchment paper.
- Once they are dry, melt some milk chocolate chips and use a piping or plastic bag with a small hole cut in the tip to create eyes and a mouth for your ghosts.
- Once your cake has cooled completely, spread the maple buttercream frosting over the top. Add crushed chocolate cookies on top for a “graveyard” effect.
- Place your strawberry ghosts and other decorations on top of the cake, and then finish it off with a dusting of powdered sugar to resemble snow.
Notes
Nutrition
