How to Make a Zombie Cake
Hi everyone! I love this time of the year! Halloween is coming, and I’m so excited to be sharing my Halloween content with you all. I’m kicking off my 2020 Halloween content with this Walking Dead Zombie cake! How many of you are still a fan of the TV show? I still am even though my interest has waned. Can Rick come back, please? This tutorial will show you how this cake was created with a watercolor buttercream technique, fondant zombie fingers, edible blood, and sprinkles. Scroll down for a list of supplies and a quick video! This zombie cake is perfect for huge horror fans. To get excited about the upcoming Halloween season, here is some inspiration!
Zombie Cake Tutorial
Materials Needed To Make a Zombie Cake
- A batch of buttercream (I used this recipe for the blog purposes.)
- Large offset spatula
- Small offset spatulas (For applying different colors)
- Cake Scraper
- Gel Food Colors (I used Americolor black, green, and brown)
- Wilton 2A Piping Tip (Found at Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Michaels)
- Piping Bags
- Edible blood. (See below to make your edible blood) (Wilton has a premade edible blood, which also works great.)
- Zombie Fingers (See below to make your own)
- Oreo crumbles for “dirt” (omit the filling)
- Sprinkles (This particular sprinkle mix has been discontinued, but here is a similar mix)
Instructions
Scroll down for the video.
- Assemble your cake.
- Create a big batch of buttercream (recipe listed above).
- Reserve a large bowl for the green buttercream and divide the remaining buttercream into brown, black, and gray. You do not need a lot of buttercream for these colors.
- I used 2-4 drops for a shade of green and 2-5 drops (black gel) for gray. Adjust to your liking.
- Apply the main color to the cake.
- Smooth the cake with the scraper.
- Refrigerate until the cake is cold to the touch. The cake needs to be cold so the buttercream won’t become muddly when mixed with other colors.
- Put blobs of black, brown, ad buttercream as desired around on the cake.
- Smooth with the scraper and turn the cake around a few times. Repeat the steps until you’re satisfied with the look.
- Apply the sprinkles on the bottom.
- Use a spoon to pour a small amount of edible blood as drips. Do it very slowly, and the edible blood is very runny. I was not concerned about getting perfect drips because I wanted to achieve a messy look.
- Use a piping bag with a 2A piping tip to pipe blobs of brown buttercream on the top.
- Crush a few Oreos without the filling and sprinkle them on the mound of buttercream.
- Insert the zombie’s fingers.
- Drip some edible blood on the fingers to achieve an icky and realistic look.
How to Make Zombie Fingers
I used this YouTube technique to make zombie fingers, so credit goes to the original creator! I also created a video of making these fingers for your viewing below.
Zombie Finger Materials
Here is the list of materials for zombie fingers.
- White Fondant
- Tylose Powder or Gum-Tex Powder
- Brown Cocoa
- Black Powdered Food Coloring or Black Cocoa
- Fondant Sculpting Tool
- Exacto knife or sharp knife
- Toothpicks
Tips:
- Use a bit of tylose or gum-tex to mix with the fondant to get them firm enough to retain the shape.
- Bend the fondant along your finger to ensure the right size.
- Insert the toothpick soon as you’re done.
- Leave them out for an hour or so before applying the cake.
How to Make Edible Blood
This is adapted from Craftsy’s guide to creating edible blood, I omitted chocolate syrup and halved the recipe, so I only used corn syrup, water, cornstarch, and red food coloring.
PrintEdible Blood
How To Make Edible Blood For Cakes
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoons red gel food coloring
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined.
Notes
- This edible blood is tacky and will stain anything that comes in contact, such as white countertops (that is porous).
- Store the edible blood in an air tight container up to a month.
- Wait to apply edible blood to the cake until before serving if possible! If it’s for an order, it will be ok up to a day, but it may seep into lighter colored buttercream.
- Leave the mix in the fridge to deepen the color.
- Be warned that this concoction is very runny, so only use this if you want a slightly messy look.
I hope you enjoyed reading and following along! This cake will be a great fit for your Halloween Zombie or Walking Dead themed party! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment section.
Hello- do you have a cake recipe for this? What size pans did you use here and how many layers? Thanks!
Hi! I used 6 inch cake pans and used Chelsweets vanilla recipe.