A cooling rack displays round white-frosted cakes decorated with black icing to resemble Jack Skellington faces from "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Small orange pumpkins are also placed on and around the rack. One cake is cut, showing a layered interior.

Jack Skellington Cakes

These Jack Skellington Cakes are so festive, fun, and delicious! Making them the perfect Halloween Treat to enjoy this spooky season! I was inspired to make these cakes from my love of making my Copycat Little Debbie Tree Cake Recipe!

I hope that you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

A hand holds a round cookie decorated with a smiling face that has large black eyes and a stitched mouth, resembling Jack Skellington. Other similar cookies and small pumpkins are visible in the background on a wire rack. The hand has a tattoo of a gingerbread man.

How To Make Jack Skellington Cakes

Prepare & Bake the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 1/4 sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with non-stick spray. If you don’t have 1/4 sheet pans, use one standard 1/2 sheet pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
Evenly distribute the batter in the prepared pans and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cake is set and just golden around the edges.
Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool completely.
Cut and Fill the Cakes:
Once cooled, use a circle cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as possible. Place the circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
For the filling, beat together the butter and Marshmallow fluff until smooth. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and mix until fully combined. Mix in the vanilla.
Pipe an even amount of filling onto one cake circle, then top with another circle. Smooth the sides with an offset spatula. Chill the assembled cakes in the freezer for 1 hour before coating.

Two baking trays with large rectangular cookies have circular and star-shaped pieces cut out using a metal cookie cutter. The interior of the cut-out shapes reveals a differing texture, implying they are freshly baked.


Coat and Decorate:
Prepare the black icing by mixing confectioner’s sugar, water, and black food dye until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag.
Melt the white candy melts and coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until smooth.
Dip each cake into the candy melt mixture, coating evenly. Allow excess to drip off and place on a parchment-lined sheet.
Use the black icing to pipe Jack Skellington’s eyes, nose, and mouth on each cake.

Close-up of a hand holding a halved sandwich-style dessert with thick layers of cream filling between cakes, decorated with black-and-white Jack Skellington faces. Small pumpkins and more decorated desserts are in the background on a wire rack.

Tips for Working with Candy Melts

Smooth Melting: Melt candy melts slowly in the microwave or a double boiler to avoid burning. If you are microwaving, be sure to microwave in 30-second intercals and always stir in between each interval.
Consistency: Add a small amount of coconut oil to achieve a smooth, thin, workable consistency. If you don’t have or ddon’t love the coconut flavor, you can use vegetable oil as well.
Avoid Overheating: Overheating can cause candy melts to become too thick and difficult to work with.

How to Store Jack Skellington Cakes

Refrigeration: For longer storage, keep the cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezing: Freeze the cakes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

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Why This Recipe Works

Festive Design: The Jack Skellington decoration is fun and perfect for Halloween, making these cakes a standout treat that is eye-catching and so delicious!
Delicious Flavor: The combination of moist cake, fluffy marshmallow filling, and a smooth candy coating creates a delightful treat that everyone will love.

Jack Skellington Cakes

Recipe by Maddison Koutrouba – thesqueakymixer.com
5.0 from 3 votes

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Servings

6-8

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on.

Ingredients | Cake

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp. baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp. salt

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 eggs, room temperature

  • 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

  • Filling
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1 cup Marshmallow fluff

  • 3 cups confectioner’s sugar

  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

  • Coating & Decorating
  • 2 1/2 cups white candy melts

  • 3 Tbsp. coconut oil

  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

  • 1-2 water (more if needed)

  • black food dye

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two 1/4 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with non stick spray. If you don’t have 1/4 cookie sheet pan, use one standard 1/2 sheet pan.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate, larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture has lightened in color and is fluffy.
  • Add in the eggs one at a time mixing between each addition. Add in the vanilla.
  • Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients alternate adding in the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mixing a little bit between each addition.
  • Do not over-mix the batter, use a silicone spatula to ensure that everything is combined nicely and evenly.
  • Evenly distribute the batter in the cookie sheets then use an offset spatula to spread the batter around evenly.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake is not jiggly and is just golden brown along the edges of the pan.
  • Let the cake sit in the pans they baked in for about 5 minutes then transfer to the fridge to cool completely. his will make the cakes easier to handle and cut out. Once the cakes have cooled after about 20 minutes, use a 4″-5″circle cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can. Place the cricle pieces of cake on a cookie sheet fit with parchment paper and let chill in the freezer for 20 minutes. Make the filling in the meantime.
  • To make the filling, use an electric mixer or a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment to whisk together the butter and fluff. Mix until there are no lumps of butter. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.
  • Slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar until everything is nice and evenly combined and there are no lumps. Add in the vanilla.
  • Once the cakes have chilled in the freezer, transfer the filling to a piping bag and pipe an even amount of frosting on top of one cake. Top with another circle of cake. Use an offset spatula to fill in any gaps on the sides of the cake.
  • Repeat the filling and smoothening process for each cake until they’re all assembeled. Place these assembled cakes back onto the cookie sheet fit with parchment paper then allow to chill in the freezer for one hour before dipping. This will make them easier to handle and more stable to work with.
  • Once the cakes have chilled for enough time, combine the confectioner’s sugar, water, and black food dye. Once this is smooth, place this into a piping bag. Set aside.
  • Melt the white candy melts and coconut oil in the microwave in 30 second intervals mixing between each interval until completely melted and smooth.
  • One at a time, using two forks, gently drop each cake into the candy melts and coat evenly. Allow the excess candy melts to drip off, then place onto a cookie sheet fit with parchment paper.
  • Use the black icing to pipe the mouth, nostrils, and eyes of the classic Jack Skellington face.
  • Enjoy!
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