This is one of those recipes that’s been on my To-Do list for a long time. As a long time Raimi fan, Drag Me To Hell is one of my favorite horror movies, and as a baker, obviously the cake scene always stood out to me. What always had me putting it off was the thought of having to make the eye-balls as well as the cake for the eye to go in.

Then, at Target earlier this month, I spotted some pretty good looking gummy eyeballs in their Halloween section. And I thought, you know what? I’m not above using a shortcut every once in a while. Add a little realism with a fondant eyelid and use some light corn syrup to give the eye a wet look, and I’m pretty happy with how it came out.

The cake in the movie, referred to as a “Harvest Cake” appeared to be a single layer, rustic-style cake filled with fruit and nuts. I decided to use an apple cake base and added pecans, raisins and cranberries, but you can really use any dried fruits or nuts that you like - walnuts, almonds, currants or even chopped up dried figs - feel free to personalize this one. It makes a great, autumnal mid-afternoon snack cake and I’ve even cut myself a slice for breakfast a couple times this week.

Harvest Cake

For the Cake

1 cup cake flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
about 3 cups peeled & chopped Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cranberries

For the Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons milk or cream

For the Eyes

Gummy eyeballs
peach or brown-colored fondant (depending on your preferred skin-tone)
corn syrup or piping gel

To make the Cake

Preaheat oven to 325°F (315 if your pan is dark, non-stick). Butter & flour (or spray with Baker’s Joy) a 10-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is completely incorporated. Add flour mixture and stir until no dry flour pockets remain. Add apples, nuts and dried fruit and stir until well-combined.

Transfer batter to the springform pan, smooth out the top, place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet in case of leaks, and bake for an hour and a half to two hours, just until a knife inserted int he center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

To make the Glaze

Combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add more milk as needed to make the glaze a thick drizzling consistency. Pour over cake and spread just to the edges to allow the glaze to drip down.

For the presentation

Roll out a small, marble-sized amount of skin-or-peach-colored fondant into a thin circle shape. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the middle of the circle. Place a gummy eyeball behind the slit and use your fingers to mold and fold the fondant into an eye-lid shape around the eye. Cut off excess fondant.

Serve cake by cutting out a small section in the middle of the cake slice and replacing with your eyeball. Use some corn syrup or piping gel to make the eyeball appear wet. Eat up before you get dragged to Hell!

Drag Me To Hell Harvest Cake