Halloween Layer Cake
There's nothing "scary" about this cake. I make it every Halloween for my husband, Mike, and our three children.
There's nothing "scary" about this cake. I make it every Halloween for my husband, Mike, and our three children.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- frosting:
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- glaze:
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon mccormick(r) pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon mccormick(r) pure orange extract
- 10 drops yellow food coloring
- 6 drops red food coloring
- 9 oz cream cheese softened
- 5 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 8 drops yellow food coloring
- 6 drops red food coloring
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
- candy corn for garnish
- Carbohydrate 141.009815411535 g
- Cholesterol 73.3258566110132 mg
- Fat 30.105945676327 g
- Fiber 2.09030828660223 g
- Protein 8.2399442042854 g
- Saturated Fat 18.1794764878864 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (307g)
- Sodium 9953.77233836172 mg
- Sugar 138.919507124933 g
- Trans Fat 2.58928778359692 g
- Calories 844 calories
Step-by-step
- In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture.
- Mix well.
- Combine cocoa, water and vanilla; stir in 2 cups cake batter.
- Pour into a greased and floured 9-in. round baking pan.
- Add orange extract, peel and food coloring to remaining batter.
- Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.
- Bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes or until cake tests done.
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
- In a bowl, beat all frosting ingredients until smooth.
- Place one orange cake layer on a cake plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting.
- Top with chocolate layer; spread with 1/2 cup frosting.
- Top with second orange layer.
- Frost the sides and top of each.
- Microwave chocolate and cream on high 1-1/2 minutes or, stirring once.
- Stir until smooth; let cool 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour over cake, letting glaze drizzle down sides.
- Garnish with candy corn.
Operating under the tight constraint of partitioning a single batter into three distinct 9-inch round pans requires precise volume management or you will end up with uneven tiers. Creaming softened butter with granulated sugar until the mixture turns visibly pale and aerated introduces essential micro-air pockets necessary for mechanical leavening, which counteracts the dense weight of five and three-quarter cups of confectioners' sugar in the heavy cream cheese frosting. Dividing that batter accurately means reserving precisely two cups for the chocolate portion while coloring the remaining majority with orange extract, grated peel, and liquid dyes. Baking proceeds at a moderate 350 degrees Fahrenheit for exactly thirty minutes, verified when a wooden pick inserted near the center emerges clean without wet crumb adherence. Letting the baked layers rest inside their metal vessels for ten minutes allows residual heat to firm the structure slightly before inversion; attempting removal immediately while steaming will tear the crumb apart entirely. Storing leftover slices presents a preservation challenge because cream cheese frostings readily absorb refrigerator odors and dry out unprotected edges. Covering the exposed cake crumb with a clean, damp-free dome or transferring segments into an airtight plastic container keeps the moisture locked inside for up to three days at cool ambient temperatures. Reviving a chilled second-day slice works best by letting it sit on the counter for twenty minutes to bring the butter-rich fat back to room temperature, softening the crumb structure back toward its original bake-day tenderness before serving.
