Graveyard Cake

Spooky Graveyard Cake Recipe

There’s nothing quite like a Halloween treat that sends a shiver down your spine—while also satisfying your sweet tooth! This Graveyard Cake is the perfect combination of creepy and delicious, and it’s guaranteed to be a hit at your next spooky gathering. Featuring tombstone cookies, “dirt” made of Oreos, and a Kit-Kat fence, this cake is easy to make and even more fun to decorate. It’s a great project for kids and adults alike!

Ingredients for Graveyard Cake

• 1 box chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients required on the box: eggs, oil, water)
• 1 tub pre-made chocolate frosting
• Kit-Kats (for fence posts)
• Milano cookies (for tombstones)
• Black gel icing (for writing on tombstones)
• Candy bones, candy pumpkins (for decoration)
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• Green food coloring
• 10-12 Oreo cookies (for dirt)

Step-by-Step Instructions for Graveyard Cake

*printable recipe card is available at the bottom of this page

Bake the Cake:

1. Preheat your oven according to the directions on the cake mix box.
2. You can use any size pan you like—or go wild with cupcakes!
3. Bake as directed and allow it to cool completely before decorating.

Frost the Cake:

1. Once the cake is cooled, spread an even layer of chocolate frosting over the surface.

Make the Oreo “Dirt”:

5. Place Oreo cookies in a plastic bag and crush them into fine crumbs using a rolling pin or food processor. (Tip: If you have a Rotary Grater, it’s perfect for this step!)
6. Sprinkle the Oreo “dirt” generously over the cake, especially around where the tombstones will go.

Create the “Grass”:

7. In a bowl, mix the shredded coconut with a few drops of green food coloring until it looks like grass.
8. Sprinkle the green coconut in a corner or section of the cake to represent a patch of grass.

Tombstones:

9. Using black gel icing, write “RIP” or spooky messages on the tops of Milano cookies.
10. Press the decorated cookies into the Oreo “dirt” to stand upright like tombstones.

Build the Fence:

1. Break Kit-Kats into individual sticks and place them around the edges of the cake to create a fence.

Decorate the Graveyard:

12. Scatter candy bones around the tombstones for a spooky touch.
13. Place candy pumpkins around the fence or tombstones for a festive Halloween vibe.

Finishing Touches:

14. Add extra Oreo “dirt” around the tombstones for that freshly-dug grave effect.
15. Chill the cake in the fridge until ready to serve.

What do Halloween and Graveyards have in common?

Graveyards are associated with Halloween because of the holiday’s origins and symbolism surrounding death, the supernatural, and the afterlife. Halloween, historically rooted in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, was a time when it was believed that the boundary between the living and the dead blurred. During this time, spirits of the dead could return to Earth, making graveyards—places where the dead are buried—symbolic of that connection between the living and the spirit world.

Over time, as Halloween evolved into the modern holiday we know today, its association with spooky themes like ghosts, skeletons, and haunted places grew. Graveyards, being naturally eerie and mysterious, became a fitting representation of the fear of death and the supernatural, two central themes of Halloween celebrations.

Additionally, as the holiday has embraced the fun and festive side of fright, graveyards have become popular imagery in decorations, costumes, and stories, making them an enduring symbol of Halloween’s spooky charm.