Spooky season is upon us, friends. I’m not the biggest fan of scary movies, it has to be said, but I do very much enjoy something a little spooky and a little kooky… my The Addams Family inspired cake bites are the perfect sweet treat for any The Addams Family movie night or themed party. You’ll be wanting more than one bite, let me tell you. Shall we join the dark forces on their hellish crusade?
Contents
The Bake
I reckon my favourite line in Addams Family Values (1993) is Morticia’s reply during Debbie and Fester’s official introduction.
Debbie: “These Addams men, where do you find them?”
Morticia: “It has to be damp.”
I MEAN. This kind of dry humour and quick wit is what makes the 90s adaptations of The Addams Family so unforgettable. The casting is pretty magnificent, too.
It’s true: I have created a recipe inspired by Addams Family Values before I have created a The Addams Family (1991) themed one. The main reason is because I often reach for the sequel before I reach for the original in this case.
Hang tight for something inspired by The Addams Family at some point, though!
My The Addams Family cake bites inspired by Addams Family Values are incredibly indulgent.
Bite sized chocolate cake topped with a tempered chocolate layer, Oreo crumb “dirt” and character inspired candy/chocolate elements.
They are seriously moreish.
I’ve tempered chocolate in a number of my recipes, like my The Nightmare Before Christmas character cake and my Avatar: The Last Airbender bento cake. It really isn’t as complicated as people fear and it really levels up your baked goods.
It’s worth noting that different brands of chocolate are better for tempering than others, but it’s possible to temper any good quality chocolate.
I used Cadbury Dairy Milk in this recipe and mixed in a little 90% Lindt in because Cadbury isn’t great for melting, let alone tempering.
It’s delicious, though, and one of my favourites. Turns out it is possible to temper it, despite the melting concerns!
Don’t be afraid to choose your favourite chocolate when it comes to tempering. If you prefer, you can just melt the chocolate and skip the tempering – you just won’t get the delicious snap from the chocolate when you bite into it.
The toppings are entirely up to you. So long as you can buy or create some that you can connect to the kooky characters of Addams Family Values, you’re winning.
I used what was available to me, which is usually a good place to start.
Oreos are great for making “dirt” as I’ve already demonstrated in my Beetlejuice inspired graveyard mousses. The only thing I did differently this time round was crush the Oreos by hand and make sure that the crumb wasn’t as fine.
White sugar paste or white modelling chocolate is ideal for creating anything to represent Debbie. I opted to create her iconic scarf out of it, which my sister said also looked a little like angel wings… which is ironic. You can read my discussion on colour theory in this movie in the The Film section below!
To finish the decoration for my The Addams Family themed cake bites, I braided Halloween candy laces for Wednesday’s plaits. I followed these with chocolate hearts and the uncovered biscuit ends of Mikado sticks to represent the breadsticks that Fester shoves up his nose to impress Debbie, and added the Frankenstein’s Monster’s head from the Halloween Haribo bag as a nod to Lurch.
Finally, I placed chocolate hearts and gold crispy balls together to represent Morticia and Gomez, for they are the GOLDEN couple.
I ran out of cake before I could create any more character inspired toppings… sorry, Thing, Pugsley, Granny and Pubert.
However, I do pay homage to Thing in my YouTube video for this recipe, so he isn’t completely left out. I also discuss the character and the portrayal of him specifically in Netflix’s Wednesday in my Wednesday inspired brownie slab post.
The YouTube Video
Top Tips
- The ideal tin for this recipe is an 8 inch square tin.
- To achieve a delightful cake texture, weigh out your eggs in their shells, getting as close to 150g as you can. Allow for 20g either way, then weigh out the butter and sugar to the exact weight of your eggs and adjust the self-raising flour and cocoa powder accordingly. My eggs, sugar and butter weighed 138g. My self-raising flour weighed 90g and my cocoa powder weighed 48g, making 138g in total. To get the best chocolate flavour in this recipe, aim for as close to 50g cocoa powder (either just under or just over if not exact).
- It can be easy to over bake a chocolate sponge, so keep in mind that a few crumbs on your cocktail stick when testing is ideal, so long as the batter doesn’t look wet.
- The chocolate that you use for your drip is entirely your choice. You can pick just milk or just dark or mix the two (I love doing the latter, especially when the milk chocolate isn’t the best for melting but is delicious). Read the body of the post above for information on types of chocolate and tempering.
- Tempering the chocolate is optional, but doing so will give you a delicious snap on top of the soft sponge of your The Addams Family cake bites. It’s easy enough to do in the microwave, so don’t be afraid!
- Get creative with your toppings, using the chocolate/candies you like! There are no specific rules, but the closer the connection to Addams Family Values, the better.
There you have it, friends. My The Addams Family cake bites inspired specifically by Addams Family Values. They can be used for any The Addams Family movie night or party, though. Nothing is binding. Enjoy!
Happy baking, happy eating!
The Recipe
Ingredients
The Addams Family Cake Bites:
- 150g [5.25 oz] unsalted butter room temperature or slightly softened
- 150g [¾ cup] caster sugar
- 150g eggs (around 2 large eggs)
- 100g [¾ cup + 3 tbsp] self-raising flour
- 50g [¼ cup + 3 tbsp] cocoa powder
Decoration:
- 200g [7 oz] milk or dark chocolate
- ½ pack Oreo cookies or chocolate biscuits i.e. Bourbons
- Sugar paste or modelling chocolate
- Halloween sweets
- Chocolate hearts
- Chocolate biscuit sticks i.e. Mikado or Pocky
Serves: 16
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 18 – 20 minutes
Decorating time: 15 minutes
Method
Addams Family inspired cake bites:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [325°F ] or 160°C fan. Grease and line an 8 inch square tin with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating in until fully incorporated.
- Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder, then fold in using a rubber spatula until both the flour and the cocoa powder are no longer visible within the mixture. Be mindful not to overmix here!
- Scrape the mixture into your lined tin and spread evenly with your spatula.
- Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 18 – 20 minutes, until a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs (no wet mixture). You’ll know when your cake is ready when the surface bounces back when gently pressed on and you hear little to no bubbling/crackling sound when you listen to it.
- Leave to cool in the tray for 10 or so minutes before lifting out, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
- If you’re moulding shapes with sugar paste or modelling chocolate to top your cake bites, do so now. Set aside once done.
- Place the Oreos or chocolate biscuits in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin or hard object into a mixed crumb. Set aside.
Chocolate coating:
- While your cake is cooling, temper your chocolate. Break the chocolate into pieces if needed and place ⅔ of it into a heatproof bowl.
- Melt the ⅔ of chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until completely melted. Seed the remaining ⅓ into the melted chocolate by stirring it in until mostly or completely melted to bring the temperature down. If the chocolate you are using isn’t ideal for melting or tempering, keep stirring until it’s mostly melted.
- Place back in the microwave for another 10 seconds then stir well.To test if your chocolate is tempered, dip a piece of baking parchment into the chocolate and leave for a few moments. If it sets hard and shiny at room temperature – it’s tempered.
Decoration:
- Slice the edges from your square cake if desired, then cut the cake into 16 pieces (4 x 4). Don’t stress about making them exact – they can be as quirky and kooky as the movie!
- Place your cake bites back on the wire rack and slide a large dish or tray underneath. This will catch any chocolate that runs off.
- Spoon the tempered chocolate onto each cake bite, using the spoon to push it over the edge gently if needed. Allow the chocolate to drip.
- Sprinkle over your Oreo/biscuit crumb so that each cake bite has a little “dirt” on it.
- Gather the chocolate/Halloween candy/modelled pieces that you are using and top each cake bite to represent different characters in Addams Family Values. Work quickly to make sure the toppings are placed on the chocolate before it’s fully set.
These Addams Family Values inspired cake bites are the perfect indulgent sweet treat for any Halloween party, Addams Family Values movie night or themed celebration. They are best enjoyed on the day of making, but will last for at least 4+ days in an airtight container. Be mindful that any biscuit elements on top of them will soften over time. Enjoy!
The Film
Addams Family Values has to be one of my all time favourite sequels.
I’ve said it before in posts like my Shrek cookies: a great sequel is a rare thing. But, when they are created… there’s no forgetting them.
In 1993, we were treated to another chapter in the 90s adaptation of everyone’s favourite kooky family.
Artfully directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and joyfully written by Paul Rudnick and Charles Addams (characters), this dark and witty sequel saw a mostly returning cast with a blonde spanner thrown into the works.
Returning cast members included Angelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd, Jimmy Workman and Carel Struycken. Plus, John Franklin and Dana Ivey.
Joining the cast were the likes of Christine Baranski, Peter MacNicol, David Krumholtz, Mercedes McNab and more.
That blonde spanner? Joan Cusack swooping in as black widow figure, Debbie.
What an iconic character. She had to be to match up to the Addams family, wouldn’t you say?
To be honest, I reckon the family would have been more than welcoming, had she not gone down the route she did. Debbie actually found people who understood her, but wasn’t willing to give them a chance.
Aside from the incredible humour that is sprinkled throughout this movie, I am so into the use of colour representation in Addams Family Values.
We all know how white and black can be used to depict notions of “good” and “bad” in film through set design, props, costume etc. Good Omens is current proof of this technique.
Addams Family Values displays a reversing of these shades to misrepresent and deceive: white is often used as “pure” and “good” when in truth, Debbie dresses up in white and pastel colours to deceive the Addams family.
A white dress to hide all of her dark secrets. Let’s not forget her palace of pastel either.
In contrast, the iconic Addams look is mostly black with white accents in varying places. They are our protagonists – despite some debatable morals – yet their exterior typically denotes the opposite.
What can I say? I love colour theory in film.
Also, shout out to the strip of light that is permanently fixed across Morticia’s eyes. Incredible.
Fans of The Addams Family have their favourite adaptations. I grew up with these 90s films, but others will love the original series from the sixties or the more recent animated movies. Then there’s the hit Netflix series Wednesday which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Whatever your favourite version of these kooky characters is, the story normalises being quirky and different. They are unashamedly themselves. It highlights the goodness in those who break the mould.
How could we not love that?
Recipe Card
The Addams Family Cake Bites | Addams Family Values
Equipment
- 1 8 inch square tin
Ingredients
The Addams Family Cake Bites:
- 150 g [5.25 oz] unsalted butter room temperature or slightly softened
- 150 g [¾ cup] caster sugar
- 150 g eggs around 2 large eggs
- 100 g [¾ cup + 3 tbsp] self-raising flour
- 50 g [¼ cup + 3 tbsp] cocoa powder
Decoration:
- 200 g [7 oz] milk or dark chocolate
- ½ pack Oreo cookies or chocolate biscuits i.e. Bourbons
- Sugar paste or modelling chocolate
- Halloween sweets
- Chocolate hearts
- Chocolate biscuit sticks i.e. Mikado or Pocky
Instructions
Addams Family inspired cake bites:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [325°F ] or 160°C fan. Grease and line an 8 inch square tin with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating in until fully incorporated.
- Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder, then fold in using a rubber spatula until both the flour and the cocoa powder are no longer visible within the mixture. Be mindful not to overmix here!
- Scrape the mixture into your lined tin and spread evenly with your spatula.
- Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 18 – 20 minutes, until a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs (no wet mixture). You’ll know when your cake is ready when the surface bounces back when gently pressed on and you hear little to no bubbling/crackling sound when you listen to it.
- Leave to cool in the tray for 10 or so minutes before lifting out, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
- If you’re moulding shapes with sugar paste or modelling chocolate to top your cake bites, do so now. Set aside once done.
- Place the Oreos or chocolate biscuits in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin or hard object into a mixed crumb. Set aside.
Chocolate coating:
- While your cake is cooling, temper your chocolate. Break the chocolate into pieces if needed and place ⅔ of it into a heatproof bowl.
- Melt the ⅔ of chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until completely melted. Seed the remaining ⅓ into the melted chocolate by stirring it in until mostly or completely melted to bring the temperature down. If the chocolate you are using isn’t ideal for melting or tempering, keep stirring until it’s mostly melted.
- Place back in the microwave for another 10 seconds then stir well.To test if your chocolate is tempered, dip a piece of baking parchment into the chocolate and leave for a few moments. If it sets hard and shiny at room temperature – it’s tempered.
Decoration:
- Slice the edges from your square cake if desired, then cut the cake into 16 pieces (4 x 4). Don’t stress about making them exact – they can be as quirky and kooky as the movie!
- Place your cake bites back on the wire rack and slide a large dish or tray underneath. This will catch any chocolate that runs off.
- Spoon the tempered chocolate onto each cake bite, using the spoon to push it over the edge gently if needed. Allow the chocolate to drip.
- Sprinkle over your Oreo/biscuit crumb so that each cake bite has a little “dirt” on it.
- Gather the chocolate/Halloween candy/modelled pieces that you are using and top each cake bite to represent different characters in Addams Family Values. Work quickly to make sure the toppings are placed on the chocolate before it’s fully set.
Notes
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