Despite the prevalence of arachnophobia, and my own squeamishness about insects in general, I have absolutely no qualms with serving spiders for dessert. Yes, you heard me right, spiders!
…Of the purely chocolate-variety, perched on top of a chocolate web embedded in a vegan cheesecake, that is.
Striking that delicate balance between creepy and cute, this Halloween delight is sure to impress even your most finicky and easily frightened guests. Plus, it couldn’t be easier to make; If you can assemble a cheesecake, this version takes only a little bit of extra effort.
Starting with my Mini Ice Box Cheesecake (sans fruit topping, of course) from My Sweet Vegan, I merely scooped some chocolate ganache into a piping bag with a tiny round tip, and piped it in a spiral over the top. Then, a toothpick is used to drag out the points of the web, starting at the center, and radiating out in equal spacing to the outer edges. For really clean lines, make sure you wipe off the tooth pick between each stroke!
While the cake is setting up in the freezer, take some plain melted chocolate, and pipe it out with that same tiny tip onto a silpat, drawing out simple spider shapes. As you can see, I’m no artist here, but all you need is to start with a medium blob, and then draw out eight lines along the sides for legs. Make many more than you think you’ll need, as the legs can be a bit delicate and prone to breakage.
Let the chocolate rest until set, and then place them on the frozen cheesecake as desired. Hide any mistakes or imperfections with a plethora of little creepy crawlies, and make sure that each slice gets at least one spider when served.
Still don’t have a copy of my book? Well, you’re in luck, because you have another chance to win it over at Dinner at Christina’s. Hurry, the drawing ends soon!
Your spiders are so cute!! What a great idea – maybe I should make chocolate spiders for my Kindergarten students!
Stunning, stunning, STUNNING!!
This is the best Halloween themed post I’ve seen this year! Absolutely adorable! Somehow you manage to make it look sophisticated and spooky at the same time. Oh, and delicious too! ;-)
That’s so cute and I love that cheesecake recipe from your book!
I’m not a cheese cake fan *gasp!* but my family is… and this is adorable! :)
That looks really cute! I am afraid of spiders too, but your chocolate spiders don’t freak me out.
crazy cute. i’m definitely planning on making some spider-themed cupcakes soon :)
Great looking cake. Chocolate spiders are my kind of spiders. :)
Love it! They’re adorable :)
Beautiful cake! I have and love your book Hannah:-)
Nice cheesecake if you only remove that creepy insects :)
my blog changed name here’s the new link http://maltesebakes.blogspot.com
Absolutely beautiful! I cannot get enough of your vegan creativity!
hannah, you’re so awesome!
i love how you tell us to make sure each slice gets a spider :)
What cute spiders! I love piping ganache into shapes–it works perfectly for any holiday or occasion :)
That looks awesome! Possible added bonus- the web makes it easy to figure out slice size! lol
I have to try that cheesecake, it looks delicious. And I love how you decorated it with the spider and web :)
Rose
This is SUCH a cute idea! That cheesecake looks the business!
I hate spiders, but have to admit that they look adorable on this yummy cheesecake.
I like Halloween treats that are not scary – this is beautiful!
Gorgeous as always Hannah. I have no problem with spiders on my desserts either so long as they are not real.
Looks awesome. Used to love those choc/peanut/noodle spiders i had in preschool!
That is just ridiculously cute. I must have another try at the spider web thingy, looks so cute!
o that looks gorgeous and so very perfect for Halloween. Love it!
Def cutest cheesecake ever!! I just entered the drawing for your cookbook too, exciting!
Beautiful presentation! These are the only spiders I’m not afraid of, hehe.
so adorable, I’d eat that spider without any issue :)
That looks sooo good and sooo cute!
Absolutely great idea…love it! Very cute and original :-)
That cake looks absolutely beautiful! What an amazing post!
p.s. If I don’t win that giveaway, I’ll definitely buy a copy of your book very soon, you’ve inspired me so much:)
Very CUTE!
I love the idea! I hate spiters too, but on Halloween people make them look almost CUTE sometimes!
THat’s the only kind of spider I’d ever get close to, I think!
That looks so cute and so halloweenie! :-)
Chocolate spiders look great on the cheesecake! Perfect for halloween.
ADORABLE!! I love this! What a great idea :)
Awesome Halloweeny cake!!
Just wanted to let you know i used your technique today to make a pie for a halloween party! It worked out great, very spooky and very festive :)
I made a spiderweb cake last year, but I love a good cheesecake!
[…] with a monstrous green swirl of frosting and those ever-popular chocolate spiders, these cupcakes are by no means horrific Halloween eats, but still perfectly fun and festive. Who […]