Pumpkin Graveyard Cake
This Halloween Graveyard Cake is a spooky showstopper made with moist pumpkin olive oil cake and topped with a rich maple buttercream frosting. It’s decorated with adorable strawberry ghosts, cookie tombstones, Oreo “dirt,” and candy pumpkins—finished with a powdered sugar dusting for a snowy graveyard vibe.
Servings: 8 people
Cost: $20
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
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs and edible flowers
- 1/8 cup 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
Oven temperatures vary, so check the cake after 20 minutes and see what it needs.
Be creative with the graveyard decorations! You can do so many fun things to make the cake look like a spooky graveyard.
Nutrition
Calories: 657kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 5308IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 2mg
