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–+ servings
Halloween chocolate cake on a cake stand.
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5 from 3 reviews

Halloween Chocolate Cake

This Halloween chocolate cake is a two layer black velvet chocolate cake. It is filled with black cocoa buttercream and topped with chocolate skulls.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Decorating Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 526kcal
Author: Stephanie Rutherford

Ingredients

Black Velvet Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Black cocoa powder
  • 2 cups White granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 cup Oil canola or vegetable
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
  • 4 Large eggs room temperature
  • 6 oz Endangered Species Chocolate I used smooth 72%
  • 1 cup Hot water hot and steaming
  • Black food dye just a few drops

Black Frosting

  • 2 1/2 cups Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 3 cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • 1/2 cup Black cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • Black food dye
US - Metric

Instructions

Black Velvet Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper. Spray again.
  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, black cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, 1 cup Black cocoa powder, 2 cups White granulated sugar, 2 1/2 tsp Baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda, 1 tsp Salt
  • In a separate bowl, mix the oil, vanilla, eggs, melted chocolate, and buttermilk. Mix until combined. Add a few drops of black food dye and mix again.
    3/4 cup Oil, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 1 cup Buttermilk, 4 Large eggs, 6 oz Endangered Species Chocolate, Black food dye
  • Pour the hot water into the wet ingredients. Mix it in slowly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix until just combined.
    1 cup Hot water
  • Pour the batter equally into the two cake pans.
  • Bake for 30-34 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.

Black Frosting

  • In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar and black cocoa powder together.
    3 cups Powdered sugar, 1/2 cup Black cocoa powder
  • In a mixing bowl using a mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
    2 1/2 cups Unsalted butter
  • Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Then, add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Add in the vanilla, salt, and a few drop of black food dye.
    1 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp Salt, Black food dye
  • Mix on high speed for 2 minutes. The frosting will be creamy.
  • Place the first cake layer down. Spread 1 cup of frosting over the cake. Place the last layer of cake down. Spread a light layer of frosting over the cake and freeze for 10 minutes.
  • Frost the rest of the cake.

Notes

Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cake.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 2 TBSP of flour.
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 371mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 911IU | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg