HAUNTED HOUSE TEMPLATE RECIPES

Steps:

• Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease parchment. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk. Whisk on medium-low until smooth, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake, rotating once, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack, right side up, and cool completely. Make a second cake. Wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour and up to 2 days. Make buttercream: Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla and salt. (Use within 2 hours or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.) Transfer 1 2/3 cups buttercream to a separate bowl, stir in 10 crushed cookies. Color remaining buttercream gray with black food coloring; transfer 1 cup to a zip-top bag and snip a small hole in one corner (or to a piping bag fitted with a #16 open star tip). Set fence template on a baking sheet; top with parchment paper. Melt black candy melts per package directions; transfer to a zip-top bag and snip a very small hole in 1 corner. Pipe melted candy on to parchment, following template; chill. Cut cake according to template. Place 1 base layer on a platter; frost top with about 2/3 cup cookie buttercream. Repeat with remaining base layer; frosting only the left- hand side. Place second-story layer on frosting; frost top with about 1/3 cup frosting; top with remaining second story layer. Place tower pieces next to the second story, frosting between the layers. Top with roof pieces, frosting between layers. Frost outside with gray buttercream. Use a cake comb to create siding texture. Roll black fondant to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using templates, cut windows and door; gently press a butter knife onto the windows to create panes. Brush windows and door lightly with luster dust; attach to house. Roll together some black and white fondant and make small marbled stones for the walkway. Using the gray frosting in the piping bag as “glue,” decorate the roof, windows, and all outside with candies. Add the Chocolate Fence. Use remaining 7 crushed cookies to create a path.