Looking to add a little spooky flavor to your haunted celebration that is sure to keep all your little ghouls, ghosts and goblins in a festive mood? Look no further for the perfect ideas to dress up those Halloween treats.

Take your All Hallows’ Eve to the next level with these Halloween concoctions sure to delight.

How to Host the Perfect Spooky Gathering

Halloween is the perfect time to throw on a costume and act like a kid. Of course, you want friends and family there to partake in the spooky fun, too, so here are a few tips to make sure your party is remembered long after the witches put away their cauldrons:

• Set a festive mood: Creepy Halloween decor, such as spider webs and Jack-O-Lanterns, can be placed around the house and yard to help get guests into the holiday spirit. Halloween-themed music, such as “Monster Mash” and movies, such as “Dracula” and “Frankenstein,” can help offset any down time, as can sharing scary stories.

• Play some ghoulish games: Bobbing for apples is a Halloween tradition you can’t leave out. Halloween bingo or a pin the tail on the donkey-type game, such as pin the nose on the skull, can also add to the fun. Or try a treasure hunt for a ghost ship’s loot by scattering clues around the house that lead to ghastly goodies.

• Vampires, ghosts and zombies, oh my: Add a costume contest to the mix and hand out prizes to some of the best. Try breaking the contest into a few categories or by age, and awarding prizes, such as most creative, judge’s choice and crowd favorite.

Bringing Frankenstein to Life

You can’t have a mad scientist Halloween party without Frankenstein. This easy buttercream cake makes a big statement, a fantastic centerpiece for your sweets table and will make others green with envy over your decorating skills. For more Halloween party ideas and inspiration, visit wilton.com.

Frankenstein Cake

Serves: 12

• 6 cups favorite cake recipe or mix
• 4 cups Wilton White Ready- To-Use Decorator Icing (4.5-pound tub)
• Wilton Color Right Performance Color System
• Wilton Black Icing Pouch with Tips
• Wilton Large Candy Eyeballs

Tools:

• Wilton 6-by-3-inch Round Pan
• Wilton 10-by-16-inch Cooling Grid
• Cake plate
• Wilton Cake Leveler
• Wilton 13-inch Angled Spatula
• Wilton 12-inch Disposable Decorating Bags

Instructions

1. Prepare cake according to box instructions and make two layers using 6-inch round pans. Bake and cool on cooling grid.
2. Prepare Spring Green icing using this color tint formula from the Color Right Performance Color System: 4 cups icing + 30 Y + 6 B. Stack layers on cake plate for a two-layer cake, using leveler as needed. Ice cake sides smooth with green icing.
3. Use black pouch icing without tip to cover top of cake. Use tip of spatula to create spiral effect. Use black pouch icing with star tip to pipe pull-out bangs around top edge and two hair strands on cake top.
4. Prepare a disposable decorating bag with green icing; cut a hole in point of bag the size of tip 3. Attach candy eyeballs with dots of green icing. Pipe green eyelids.
5. Use black pouch icing with round tip to pipe dot nose and neck bolts, outline mouth and stitches.

Cast a Sweet Spell

Use fresh Chilean navel oranges, mandarins and lemons to cast a spell on your frightful Halloween party goblins with Bubbling Witches Brew and Spook-tacular Fruit Cups. Looking for more festive ideas? Add orange pumpkin treats to the menu. Just peel a mandarin and insert a small piece of celery in the center for the stem.

Find these and more sweetly satisfying recipes at fruitsfromchile.com.

Bubbling Witches Brew

• To make 5 cups, freshly squeeze 3 1/2 cups mandarin orange juice and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Cover and chill.

Instructions

1. When ready to serve, pour chilled juice into punch bowl or pitcher and stir in 1 cup chilled sweet sparkling soda and ice cubes. Taste for sweetness.
2. Peel and slice mandarin oranges to make pinwheel shapes that resemble spider webs to garnish each drink. Use frozen red or black grapes as an additional optional garnish.

Spook-tacular Fruit Cups

• Cut off top 1/5 of an orange and use paring knife to separate fruit from inside of orange, being careful not to cut through peel. It’s not necessary to get all of the flesh out, just enough to fill with cut fruit.
• Squeeze juice from removed fruit and add to Bubbling Witches Brew.
• If necessary, shave small amount of peel off bottom so cups sit level, being careful not to create an opening in the base. Use paring knife to carve faces, and fill each cup with orange pieces, melon balls, grapes and blueberries.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (mother and daughter cooking)

SOURCE:
Family Features