HALLOWEEN GRAVE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a disposable foil pan with a domed plastic lid.
• Beat cake mix with water, eggs, and oil in a large bowl using an electric mixer until no dry spots remain. Increase speed to medium; blend well. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 32 to 36 minutes. Let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• Frost the cooled cake with frosting.
• Push fudge sticks upright about 1/2-inch apart into 3 outer edges of the cake to represent fence posts. Place additional fudge sticks about 1/2-inch apart in a diagonal line across the cake starting at the fourth corner to create a small area outside the graveyard. Weave licorice whips through the fence posts for crosspieces. Connect 2 parallel sticks with a third diagonal one and attach with frosting to make a gate.
• Make a winding path from the gate to the far edge of the cake with 2 parallel lines of chocolate covered raisins as boulders. Fill the path with toffee chip for rocks. Assemble a licorice whip tree; insert in the middle of the path in the far corner of the graveyard.
• Mix coconut with green food coloring in a small bowl until thoroughly dyed. Arrange outside the gate into a lawn. Pile a mound of candy pumpkins in 1 corner of the graveyard and a few on the grass.
• Write spooky phrases on the upper thirds of the oval cookies with black decorator gel icing such as 'RIP" with a skull and crossbones, "Yul B. Next," or "Here Lies ---." Stick cookie gravestones carefully into the cake. Scatter cookie crumbs all over the graveyard to represent dirt; stack any extra crumbs into a dirt pile in front of a gravestone. Place a marshmallow ghost at the fence, peeking out from between two posts.