We love all Halloween desserts equally (creepy cookies and cute cupcakes included) but there’s no denying that when you need a showstopper, you bake a cake. And, when it comes to Halloween, not just any cake will do—you need a hauntingly delicious confection that will shock and surprise your guests when it makes its appearance! We’ve got options that fit every theme (including ghosts, brains and eyeballs, galore) and every skill level so you’re sure to find exactly what you’re looking for in this roundup. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend this elaborately decorated cake—that doesn't require championship baking skills to make it happen. Store-bought yellow cake mix, pumpkin spice instant pudding and simple designs make it easy to pull off this festive jack o’ lantern cake. The pudding mix makes the cake sturdy and bouncy—the perfect texture for slathering on the 3-ingredient marshmallow cream frosting. It’s finished off with chocolate eyes and a cute, toothy grin.

Ruby chocolate is the perfect coating for these brains, but any color candy melting wafers work just as well if you want a silly rather than scary vibe. You can use a homemade recipe or store-bought cake mix for the red velvet cake.

This spooky Pumpkin Cake Graveyard combines moist pumpkin spice cake with a hauntingly fun graveyard scene, complete with cookie tombstones and candy decorations—perfect for a Halloween party centerpiece!

The Dead Velvet Cake puts a chilling twist on classic red velvet, layering rich crimson cake with eerie decorations that make it a show-stopping treat for any Halloween gathering.

This deep, dark chocolate cake looks just like a creepy-cute mummy. Stretched marshmallows make the perfect “bandages” and a pair of candy eyes completes the eerie design. It couldn’t be easier!

Create a haunted scene for your Halloween table with this creepy-cute layer cake. Conjure up your own eerie decorations with a little help from the viral rice paper wrapper trend—but cut the wrappers into spooky ghost shapes instead of flowers. They spring to life in hot oil and only take seconds to cook.

This adorable Halloween dessert is incredibly simple to make – all you need is one square cake, one round cake and a couple of easy knife cuts. Top the whole cake with a quick homemade vanilla frosting, then pipe on eyes and a mouth, for the friendliest ghost your little goblins will love.

We only have eyes for Molly’s creepy Bundt cake. She combines melted white chocolate, matcha powder and coconut cake to achieve the ghoulishly green glaze that’s decorated with Halloween candies.

Stretching sticky, melted marshmallows into webs might be the best Halloween trick yet. Finish this haunted cake with ghosts made out of piped buttercream frosting.

Ree’s cake eyeballs are the perfect bite-size treat for a Halloween party. Make sure the cake balls are completely firm before coating them with melted chocolate — if not, you’ll be up to your eyeballs in crumbs!

Not only does this festive bull's-eye cake slice up into pieces that look like giant candy corns, the inside holds a secret cache of the treats themselves that spill forth when you open it up.

Looking for a dessert that’s more stylish than scary? With paper-thin crepe layers, a smooth pumpkin filling and a rich chocolate ganache, this elegant cake is sure to be a showstopper.

Spook your friends and serve a delicious brain on Halloween. This no-bake strawberry cheesecake made in a plastic mold looks hauntingly real. Top it with fruit syrup "blood" and you've got the scariest dessert in town.

This eyeball cake is the stuff of Halloween nightmares: When you slice into it, a gush of raspberry jam flows out.

There's no magic potion in this cauldron - it's a chocolate cake! To create the edible pot, trim a four-layer cake, leaving a wide lip around the edge. We frosted the whole thing black, then added doughnut handles and gummy-candy flames. That bubbling green stuff on top is just lime gelatin.

It's scary how adorable these festive Halloween cake pops are! You can easily switch up the decorations--these are just four of our favorites --so choose whatever combination works for you.

We topped elegant strawberry shortcake with a ghoulish white chocolate skull in this spectacular Halloween dessert. Pour over the hot strawberry sauce to reveal the surprise inside!

This haunted graveyard looks like a cake, but it’s actually made up of individual cupcakes, making it the perfect self-serve party option. Just grab your cupcake and go — no knives necessary.

It’s no tricks, all treats with this candy bucket cake. To make the edible bucket, trim a one-inch circle from the top of the cake. Fill the hole with your favorite candy, then add licorice handles. We’re willing to bet it’s the sweetest dessert at the party.

This takes the cake for the most twisted dessert. Luckily, it's also delicious.

The perfect dessert for Halloween: a layer cake that’s black as night.

These little monsters are scary cute. As an added bonus, they are prepared in individual jars, so there’s no need to worry about doling up dessert during the Monster Mash.

Set your sights on this scary no-bake cheesecake for your next Halloween party. We used canned lychees and blueberries to create bloodshot eyes that are set in a boozy cranberry gelatin.

These creepy-crawly cake pops are the perfect addition to your Halloween snack table. To make the legs on these little critters, cut black licorice into short pieces and stick them on with melted chocolate.

A seasonal spice cake is rolled around a sweet, zingy filling to create this beautiful dessert. For extra flair, use Halloween cookie cutters as an outline for a confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon design.

Here’s a tip for crystal-clear caramel that looks just like glass: don’t stir the sugar once it starts to boil. If you do, it can crystalize and appear cloudy.

Strange but true: You can bake a chocolate cake right in a pumpkin — and it tastes delicious!

The killer idea comes from California-based baker Karl Fong, who won last season’s Halloween Baking Championship with a bleeding zombie cake. Just make the recipe below and spoon it over a store-bought cake for a scary-simple Halloween treat.

Sandra’s super-simple pumpkins are a piece of cake. She starts with a boxed spice cake mix, then melts white chocolate and food coloring to create an orange glaze.

Giada’s cute cake pops are perfectly portioned for your Halloween guests. Serve them at your party or wrap them in decorative cellophane for a sweet party favor!

Nancy likes to creep out her family with this roadkill armadillo cake. It’s a great Halloween cake to make with kids — a little messy and a lot of fun.

This chocolate graveyard is hauntingly boo-tiful, complete with crushed wafer "dirt," cookie tombstones, candy bones and a sweet chocolate tree.

Duff uses French buttercream and some food coloring to turn a simple pumpkin cupcake into a bloodshot eyeball. Just one bite and you’ll be dying for more!