Spooky Black Velvet Halloween Cake

A delicious and visually striking dessert perfect for Halloween celebrations, featuring black cocoa and blackberry compote.

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Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Blackberry compote, Chocolate cake, Halloween cake, Spooky dessert, Velvet cake

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Calories: 400kcal

Ingredients

For the cake

2 cups White granulated sugar
2 cups All-purpose flour (sifted)
¾ cup Black cocoa powder (sifted)
2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
2 pcs Eggs (room temperature)
1 cup Buttermilk (room temperature)
1 cup Coffee (hot)
½ cup Canola oil
2 tsp Vanilla extract

For the blackberry compote

2 cups Fresh blackberries
2 tbsp White granulated sugar
1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Lemon zest
1 pcs Cinnamon stick
¼ cup Water
1 tbsp Cornstarch

For the frosting

8 oz Cream cheese (softened)
½ cup Unsalted butter (softened)
3 cups Powdered sugar (sifted)
1 cup Black cocoa powder (sifted)
¼ tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract

For decoration

Chocolate skulls
Fresh blackberries
Dried rose petals

Instructions

Baking the Black Velvet Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two round cake pans.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir these dry ingredients together until combined.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, hot coffee, canola oil, and vanilla extract together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until you have a smooth batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Making the Blackberry Compote

In a small pot, combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and water.
Cook over medium heat until the blackberries soften and break down, about 8-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with a little water to make a slurry. Add this to the pot and cook for another minute until thickened.
Remove from heat and let it cool.

Preparing the Black Cocoa Frosting

In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, black cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy and well combined.

Assembling the Cake

Once the cake layers have cooled completely, place one layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of blackberry compote on top.
Put the second cake layer on top and cover the entire cake with black cocoa frosting.
Decorate the cake with chocolate skulls, more blackberries, and dried rose petals for a spooky look.

Notes

Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature for the best results, especially the eggs and buttermilk. Sift the cocoa powder and flour to avoid any lumps in the batter. When mixing the cake batter, be careful not to overmix; combine just until smooth. For extra moist cake layers, you can brush a little simple syrup over the cake layers before adding frosting.

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