This spiderweb cake has rich chocolate layers, orange cream cheese frosting and an easy marshmallow spider web. It makes a dramatic Halloween cake but is much easier to decorate than it looks, with regular, whole wheat and gluten-free flour options.

This cake might look intimidating, but it’s surprisingly simple to make and easy to decorate.

The cake is the same base I use for all my chocolate cake recipes, including my Chocolate Heart Cake, Jack Skellington Cake, and Dairy-free Cake.

I also use a very similar chocolate cake base for this Ghost Cake, which is topped with purple cream cheese frosting, chocolate ganache and meringue ghosts.

It’s adapted from the recipe on the back of a Hershey’s cocoa powder box. It really is the perfect chocolate cake! And that’s why I keep reusing it.

The orange frosting and easy spiderweb are an easy way to transform this cake into the perfect Halloween treat. If you’re looking for something quicker, this Halloween Cookie Cake (but without the Meringue Ghosts) is a great option.

Ingredients

Here’s a look at all the ingredients you’ll need to make this spiderweb cake. For full measurements and instructions, scroll to the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

If you don’t have black cocoa powder, you can use more Dutch-process cocoa powder. Or regular cocoa powder.

Your cake will, of course, be lighter in color and flavor if using all Dutch-process and even lighter if using regular cocoa powder.

And here’s what you need to make the frosting and to decorate the cake.

Make sure to use gel food coloring if not using natural food coloring. Your frosting would come out too runny with regular, liquid food coloring.

Black cocoa

Black cocoa’s dark color and intense chocolate flavor set it apart from traditional cocoa. It’s what gives Oreo that special flavor.

If you want to make the most of your black cocoa, I have some additional recipes that feature it, like these Black Cookies, a Black Milkshake, and this Black Ice Cream.

Note that as black cocoa powder passes through your digestive system, it doesn’t lose color. There’s no need for alarm.

And as I said above, you can use regular or Dutch-process cocoa in its place. The purpose in this recipe is to just make the cake darker in color.

Why use mini marshmallows?

Mini marshmallows are preferred over jumbo marshmallows for a spiderweb cake because they melt more evenly and quickly, making it easier to create the delicate, thin strands that resemble a spiderweb.

Jumbo marshmallows take longer to melt and can result in thicker, clumpier lines that are harder to work with, whereas mini marshmallows allow for better control and precision when stretching them over the cake.

How to make it

As I mentioned earlier, the full directions are provided below.

This is just to give you a visual overview.

It is not meant as a substitute for the actual directions. ;)

I’ll say it again – this cake is really easy. If piping frosting onto a cake seems intimidating, this is the perfect recipe for you. You can’t really mess it up unless you get sloppy with the spiderweb.

I saw one person’s spiderweb cake that looked a bit like snot. Snot is not the look you’re going for. :D

What’s a crumb coat?

A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that seals in any loose crumbs, creating a smoother surface for the final frosting. It also helps the frosting adhere more effectively.

Freezing the cake layers makes for a cleaner crumb coat.

After applying the crumb coat, freeze the cake for at least 20-30 minutes before adding the final layer of frosting.

How to make the marshmallow spiderweb

You must use normal marshmallows! I was hoping it’d work with vegan marshmallows, but it didn’t.

I could only get something like 1″ spiderweb strands. I tried them with Koro marshmallows and the ones from a Germany company called Süss und Clever (for the 24 people reading from Germany – those marshmallows were incredible, by the way – my whole family dislikes regular marshmallows and loved these!)

I only found this out last minute. I had promised to bring a cake for my son’s last day of kindergarten, and I had to throw on some other decorations because the vegan marshmallows didn’t do the trick.

To create the spiderweb design, melt mini marshmallows in the microwave and stir. They should be smooth and stretchy.

Let the goo cool slightly so it’s not too hot to touch, put on food-handling gloves, then stretch small pieces between your fingers to form web-like strands.

Carefully drape the strands across your cake, layering them for a realistic marshmallow spider web effect.

If the marshmallows harden, reheat them briefly in the microwave again.

Use a toothpick to adjust and refine the web strands if needed.

Top with plastic spiders for the final spooky touch! But remove them before you serve.

Note that the spiders can stick to the webbing, so be careful when you take them off.

How to make ahead, freeze and store

Making the cake in stages over 2 days makes the process much easier, but you can certainly make it from start to finish in one day.

Chilled or frozen cake layers are also much easier to frost than layers stored at room temperature. I like to bake the cake layers and make the cream cheese frosting one day, then assemble and decorate the cake the day I plan to serve it.

Here’s how far ahead you can prepare each part:

Individual cake layers – after baking, let the layers cool completely, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them inside a Ziploc bag. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. For easier handling, you can use the cake layers straight from the freezer when assembling. There’s no need to defrost them first.
Cream cheese frosting – the frosting can be refrigerated for up to 4 days total or frozen for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that the 4 days is the total refrigeration time, including after the cake is assembled.
The crumb-coated or fully frosted cake – you can assemble the cake, add the crumb coat and frosting, then freeze it for up to 1 week. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and place it in a large bag for extra protection.
The decorated cake – add the marshmallow spiderweb as close to serving as possible because it becomes wet and sticky over time. Refrigerate leftover cake for up to 4 days.

Food coloring

You can use natural food coloring, such as Supernatural Kitchen Food Colors or Color Kitchen, for the frosting. I’ve tested this cream cheese frosting with both brands, and both produced nice, vivid colors.

They are quite expensive, so I usually stock up when I find them on sale. I used Color Kitchen for the orange frosting on the Jack Skellington cake below.

For the kindergarten cake below, I used Color Kitchen for the orange and green and Supernatural for the purple. The lighting in the photo isn’t ideal, but the colors were much brighter in person.

If you’re not using natural food coloring, use gel food coloring rather than regular liquid food coloring. Liquid coloring can make the cream cheese frosting too runny.

Gluten-free option

My go-to is usually King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour, which often performs better than Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour, but not in this recipe.

After 7 failed attempts where the cake either collapsed as it cooled or turned out overly sticky, I switched to Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, and it worked right away.

For the gluten-free version, the only change you need to make is to use 2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons (363 grams) Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour in place of the regular flour. No other ingredient amounts need to be changed.

Most marshmallows in the US are made with cornstarch rather than wheat starch, but ingredients vary by brand. If you’re making a gluten-free spiderweb cake, check the package to make sure your marshmallows are gluten-free.