Skill Level: ⭐⭐ Beginner to Intermediate

✔️ All Cake Bust ✔️ Classic Monster ✔️ Versatile Character Design

Why This Made the List:

The Bride of Frankenstein is iconic, and this bust tutorial covers everything you need to create that fun, soft cartoony character cake from scratch. What I love most about this one is how versatile it is—sure, it's perfect for Halloween, but that dramatic hair.. that's also cake.. really shows you just how to piece it all together.

This tutorial is packed with foundational skills that every cake decorator needs in their arsenal. Structure, carving, covering with fondant, creating facial features—it's all here. The best part? It's totally achievable even if you've never made a bust before. I walk you through every single step, and by the end, you'll have the confidence to tackle any cartoon character bust that comes your way. Just ask my other half, who used this tutorial (I challenged him to) to make HIS first every sculpted cake for my birthday cake a few years ago! 

Techniques You Can Use Again and Again:

• Bust structure and armature - Essential foundation for any character bust cake
• Head and hair carving - Use these techniques for any character with dramatic hair or headpieces
• Fondant covering and detailing - Master smooth coverage and creating texture and detail work
• Cartoony facial feature creation - Perfect for that soft "pixar" animated kind of look

Watch Tutorial →

Skill Level: ⭐⭐⭐ Advanced

✔️ Gravity-Defying Structure ✔️ Character Modeling ✔️ 90s Nostalgia

Why This Made the List:

This one was has a special place in my heart because it was for Zach's 40th birthday....and listen, if you grew up in the 90s, how could this cake not bring you back to the good ole' days? That iconic scene where The Mask's eyes bug out and his tongue rolls across the table? Pure gold. And now you can make it in cake form! What I love about this tutorial is that it's not just about creating a character—it's about capturing that over-the-top, cartoon-meets-realism that made the movie such a groundbreaking movie for it's time.

The gravity-defying structure is where things get really fun. We've got bulging eyes and a 4-foot tongue with a 1-foot open mouth -- there is a lot of fun stuff to learn here! Plus, you'll learn my tricks for filling space without needing a massive amount of cake (sometimes you need the wow factor without feeding 100 people). Those bulging eyes alone are worth the tutorial!

Techniques You Can Use Again and Again:

• Gravity-defying structures - Perfect for any character with exaggerated features or action poses
• Space-filling techniques - Create impressive size without excessive cake—great for display cakes or budget-conscious projects
• Exaggerated character modeling - These techniques work for any cartoon or comic book character with bold, over-the-top features
• Modeling chocolate facial features - Master creating expressive faces that bring personality to any character cake

Watch Tutorial →

Skill Level: ⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate to Advanced

✔️ Interactive ✔️ Character Modeling ✔️ Unique Mechanism

Why This Made the List:

Okay, so this one is straight-up FUN. I mean, who doesn't want to see the look on someone's face when they see this pop out of this innocent looking pink doll box! This tutorial is one of my favorites because it combines so many skills into one project, but honestly? It's that interactive pop-up element that really seals the deal. The mechanism is dead simple (pun intended), and you can use stuff you probably already have lying around.

What I love most is that this cake gives you options. You can go full spooky zombie for Halloween, or dial it back and use these same techniques for any character cake with a pop-up element. Plus, gelatin "plastic" and edible fabric? Those techniques alone are going to change your cake game forever.

Techniques You Can Use Again and Again:

• Pop-up mechanism - Perfect for jack-in-the-box cakes, monsters bursting through walls, or any character that needs a surprise reveal element
• Figurine modeling - Use these techniques for any character cake you want to create
• Edible fabric - Once you know this trick, you'll be draping everything from clothing to curtains to tablecloths on your cakes
• Gelatin plastic - Ideal for creating windows, glasses, ice effects, or clear packaging for any "boxed" themed cake
• Paneling a rectangle cake - A clean, professional finish that works for any gift box, book, or geometric cake design

Watch Tutorial →

Skill Level: ⭐ Beginner Friendly

✔️ All Ganache ✔️ Actually Carvable ✔️ Kid-Friendly Fun

Why This Made the List:

And number 1 spot goes to this tutorial -- it's is one of my personal favorites because it's just so dang FUN. Like, I think it needs to be a yearly Halloween tradition -- sorry real pumpkins, we're replacing you with cake pumpkins that are not only easier to carve, but are yummy CAKE, so yeah, sorry. 

You know how carving real pumpkins is fun but messy, and they rot in like three days? Well, what if you could carve a pumpkin that you could actually EAT? That's exactly what this is. My all-ganache pumpkin cake is literally easier to carve than a real pumpkin, and you can use the exact same techniques you'd use on the real deal.

I love this project because it works as both a showpiece AND a fun family tradition. Imagine setting this out at your Halloween party and watching people's faces when they realize they can carve AND eat it. Plus, the ganache carving technique opens up a whole world of possibilities for other projects. It's basically a magic trick in cake form.

Techniques You Can Use Again and Again:

• Ganache carving techniques - Use this method for any project where you want to carve details into a smooth surface
• Realistic texture modeling - Perfect for pumpkins, but also applies to other fruits, vegetables, or natural elements
• Creating depth with color - Add dimension to any carved or textured surface to make details pop
• Shaping with ganache - Master creating organic, realistic shapes that go beyond traditional cake forms 

Watch Tutorial →

• Timbo's Witch Face (membership only) - Video Tutorial
  Timbo shows us how to make this incredible witch face step by step -- and I gotta tell you, he makes sculpting a face feel do-able! 

• Frankenstein's Monster (membership only) - Live Video Replay  
  This one was so much fun, it was a live tutorial where myself, Avalon, and Natalie Sideserf came together and created Frankenstein's Monster. I sculpted while Natalie painted, it was so much fun, a must-watch!

• Monster Halloween Trick or Treat Bag Cake - Video Tutorial
  This one is an oldie but a goodie -- it's great fun for anyone trying to add some fun special effects into their cake while still being very beginner-friendly!

• Zombie Buffet Toppers - Video Tutorial
  Another oldie, but a goodie -- this one is not only something you can do pretty fast -- but it's fun, and it's impactful. Great for an adult Halloween party (for those who can handle it, of course!)

• Dead Head Zombie (membership only) - Pictorial
  This step by step pictorial by Corinna Maguire of Lovin from the Oven is SUCH a great family friendly cake, perfect for a Halloween party for all ages, super tactile and fun with a surprise inside!

• Rainbow Beetle (membership only) Pictorial
  This step by step pictorial by Jennifer Reese of Good Gosh Ganache is another jaw-dropper with a really fun surprise inside -- a satisfying CRUNCH when you cut in and then....SLIME. Imagine the kids' response with this one!