It’s the end of October and everyone is thinking the same
thing - Halloween. There are pumpkins on the porch and witches on their
broomsticks. Monsters peek out from behind closed doors only to be met with
horrible creatures ringing doorbells and demanding treats of the sugary kind.
Stores are filled with costumes and candy in preparation of all Hallows eve and
parties of frightening proportions. It seems as if this creepy occasion begins
as soon as school starts and the leaves fall. Children of all ages plan for
their one great night of dress up. What should I be this year – a zombie? A vampire?
A princess or a hobgoblin from the latest movie? The choices are endless.
I don’t usually celebrate Halloween. I did when I was
younger and we did take my son out trick or treating when he was little. Soon
the trick or treating turned into church parties and spending the evening in
watching assorted horror movies with a big bowl of popcorn in a dark room. We still enjoy the gore and gruesome films of
the times, such as The Last House on the Left, or Halloween, or Friday the
Thirteenth; but we also experiment with the classics of Frankenstein and
Dracula. Being a student of film-making, my son watches all kinds of movies and
television shows to expand his repertoire and experiences. We actually began
watching a different horror movie for each day in October and he critiques and
compares how such movies have changed throughout the years. It’s exciting to
learn all the film-making lingo as I listen to my son, but I have seen more
blood and guts over the past month to last me until next October.
I have to say that I enjoy some of the gruesome goodies that
appear during this season. I’m not thinking about a bowl full of spaghetti
pretending to be intestines or peeled grapes imposing as eyes; I am talking
about those cookies that resemble witches’ fingers or ghosts made of meringues
that float on top of a cemetery cake. I am always interested in new and fun
ways to bake and I have tons of sites on my computer for just that reason. I
will include some of these pages for your perusal so you can be inspired too!
With all the blood, guts, and gore that come with some of
our favorite movies, I had to incorporate this for my own pleasurable eating.
When my son was filming his thesis film about a crazed teen idol whose
personality delves into some sinister evil, I had to commemorate the occasion
with a specialty cupcake. It portrays all the oozing blood of infamous slasher
movies along with the yumminess of red velvet cake and shards of sugar glass
sticking out in all the wrong places. Making the sugar glass and edible blood was
a bit time consuming, but it was well worth it and everyone loved the motif.
(And who knew, sugar glass is what bottles were made of in the old days of
film.)
Broken Glass Cupcakes is a great recipe to make whether you
have to go to a party or whether you’re just sitting at home watching your favorite
gory movie. If you have the time, go for it and surprise everyone as you sip on
sweetened blood or bite shards of glass between your teeth.
Broken Glass
Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 Can white frosting
1 Box Red Velvet
Cake Mix
Sugar Glass:
2 cups water
1 cup light corn syrup
3 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Edible Blood:
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water, or more as needed
15 drops red food coloring
3 drops blue food coloring
Directions:
Prepare Red Velvet Cake Mix According to box,
line cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners. Use red or silver colored ones if
possible. Divide cake batter between lined cupcake tins. Bake according to box instructions. Let cool
and frost cupcakes with white frosting.
To make the sugar glass, mix 2
cups water, 1 cup corn syrup, white sugar, and cream of tartar in a large
saucepan; bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer and boil sugar syrup until
temperature reaches 300 degrees (hard ball**), stirring constantly. The mixture
will thicken as water evaporates. When sugar reaches 300 degrees, quickly pour
onto a clean metal baking pan. Cool until completely hardened. Break into
"shards" using a meat mallet.
**Hard ball stage happens when a
drop of mixture placed in a cold glass of water becomes a hard ball on the
bottom of glass. If you don’t have a thermometer, this is one way to find out
if the candy is ready. It takes a bit of time, but it is worth it. **
To make
the edible blood, mix together ½ cup corn syrup and cornstarch in a large bowl.
Slowly stir in the ¼ cup of water, adding more if necessary, until the corn
syrup mixture has thickened to the consistency of blood. Stir in the red and
blue food coloring. This edible blood is so real it’s creepy. If you don’t use
it all, save in a sealed container and use to freak out your friends while
watching vampire movies.
Stab each frosted cupcake with a few shards of
broken sugar glass. Drizzle on drops of "blood" to complete the
effect. Enjoy with your favorite ghosts and goblins!
Here
are a few sites that have an inspired me for ghoulish fun and baked goods.
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