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+ servings
4 skull cakes with icing on a white marble board.

Vegan Red Velvet Halloween Skull Cakes

Moist vegan red velvet skull cakes with a sugar glaze over the top. These spooky and delicious cakes can be made with vegan food dye or beet root powder. Perfect for Halloween parties!
4.20 from 5 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 735kcal
Author: Linda & Alex

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Oven

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups cake flour SEE NOTE
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk anything except coconut milk will do
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¾ cup canola oil
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • Egg replacer for 2 eggs SEE NOTE
  • 3 tablespoon vegan red food dye SEE NOTE
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • FOR THE GLAZE
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon plant-based milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and lightly grease the cake pan
  • Mix the lemon juice and plant milk until combined and let sit for 10 minutes. This is your vegan buttermilk.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the 2 ½ cups cake flour, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt until completely combined.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the ¾ cup canola oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, egg replacer, 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and 3 tablespoon red dye until combined. Add beet root powder by the tablespoon until it turns a nice red color if you don’t use the food dye.
  • Pour the wet oil mixture into the dry mixture and beat with a paddle attachment until just combined. Slowly add the boiling water until combined. The batter will be thin, not thick.
  • Fill each skull mold until almost full. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
  • Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack until they’re completely cool.
  • While the cakes are cooling, make the glaze.
  • When the cakes are completely cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cakes so it pools int the eye and nose sockets and drips down the sides.
  • FOR THE ICING
  • In a small bowl, stir 1 tablespoon into the sugar until the sugar starts to form a glaze, add more milk as needed until it’s the consistency you’re looking for to drizzle over the cakes.
  • If you add too much milk, add a small amount of sugar too thicken.

Notes

  • NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
  • Cake flour makes the best cakes. You can use all-purpose flour but the texture won’t be as good.
  • We used 6 tablespoon of JUST egg replacer for this. You can use EnerG, Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, or Follow Your Heart egg replacer, just follow the instructions to make 2 eggs.
  • We tried using several brands of plant-based red dye and each time the color faded significantly when the cakes baked. You can try beet root powder, but we can’t guarantee the color will be as vibrant. We use McCormick food dye for this cake, which is made with synthetic color.
  • You can freeze the cakes in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. It’s best to put the glaze on the cakes just before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 735kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 71g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
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