Creepy, Giant Spider Halloween Birthday

This was made for a young man turning 21 on Halloween. He loves German Chocolate cake so I knew I had to use the ultimate David Lebovitz recipe I’d found awhile back. Best German Chocolate cake. Ever. I torted each of the layers and filled with the coconut/pecan mixture and covered it in chocolate ganache with a rough finish. His mom left it up to me on the design – Halloween theme or not, they didn’t care – so I decided to go creepy but not gross, and not too busy on the decorations. This, I was later told, was the best cake he’d ever gotten. I really wished the spider web had turned out better but I was dealing with super sticky melted marshmallows that decided to stick to my fingers rather than the ganache. However, the effect was was perfect for his age. The giant spider was a simple fondant oval with a round head attached. The legs I made extra long and bent at sharp angles for more creep-factor. It worked. One guest at the party couldn’t look at the cake until the spider was gone. Success!!

-- Carrie, Michigan, carriethecakefairy.com