Halloween countdown day 21, cauldron bubbles and I married a witch!
When starting a baking adventure, I always think about breaking it up into small bits. We all have loads of stuff to do (somehow even during a pandemic!) and even if we didn’t breaking projects down into parts makes them much easier to handle and get right. So, in the next few days the blog will be focused on a cauldron cake, and evoking the true root of the word witch (from the Saxon wica- or knowledge), we will work smarter not harder! The first step in the project is making the edible, gelatin bubbles for the top! These bubbles are the distinct shade of toads, which go hand in hand with a witch stirring her large, black cauldron!
In the time of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, toads indeed would have been found in a witches’ brew- they were believed to be poisonous (and also, they were probably known to be mind altering) and some witches even testified to keeping them in their gardens and feeding them their own blood (shades of Little Shop of Horror peeping up in the blog again!). While the Bufo bufo toad of Europe is today seen as a fine thing to have in your garden to control insects, there is no need to feed it blood. Instead, conjure up a picture in your mind of a coven of witches setting out on a trip to observe some celestial event, carrying their cauldron in turns, setting it down at dusks and preparing a hearty brew as the pot warmed over a perfect autumn fire. Toads used to be a bonafide symbol of Halloween, and I say it is time to bring them back amongst the bats, vampires and cats!
“Round about the caultron go;
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad, that under the cold stone,
Days and nights hast 31
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou fist I’ the charmed pot!”
-Shakespeare’s Macbeth
But please, don’t add actual toads into the pot!
Instead, just add a few drops of green food coloring to a microwave safe bowl with 4 packs of knox gelatin and 8 tbs (1/2 cup) water. Mix everything with a fork and let the gelatin “bloom” and absorb the water for a few minutes.
Then, microwave for about 2-3 minutes until the mixture really bubbles up.
Let the bubbles die down and then dip your silicon mold upside down into the bowl (I coat the outside of the molds so that they are easy to peel off. Repeat a few more times after gelatin has a few minutes to cool on the mold (re-microwave the gelatin bowl to soften it up between dips). Two to three dips should give you a solid coat. Now, just leave the bubbles alone for the night. I always am tempted to pick and poke at them because I have the self-control of a hamster. But really, do these before bed and then just leave them alone to harden and dry. They will become plastic-y by the morning and not jiggly or gelatin-y at all.
The same night you can also whip up your frosting, this way the next day, or whenever you bake your cakes, everything is ready and waiting for you!
I think candy eyes would be fun to add to any extra bubbles to make little slime monsters, which would totally count as another Halloween activity for the kids and needs zero more work from you! These little bubbles are not as fragile as they look and are fun to move around. Or, leave your bubbles color free and make little ghosts. See about working smarter, not harder? Watch out, though, people will start accusing you of witchcraft if you aren’t careful!
Speaking of witches, hop on your broom and watch “I Married a Witch.” Like right now! It is on HBO Max and Amazon and it is just a witty, beautiful, funny classic movie that stars Veronica Lake as a witch who falls in love with a politician her family has cursed. Perfect timing for this election year, perfect for anytime you want to see a real starlet, and perfect inspiration for our witchy cauldron cake project! Ribbit!
