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Spooky Halloween Cake
5 from 2 votes

Spooky Halloween Cake

Get into the spirit of Spooky Season with my Halloween Red Velvet cake! This easy Halloween cake is ghoulishly gory and devilishly delicious, dripping with edible blood and decorated with bloody eyeballs.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 732 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the cake
  • ¾ cup buttermilk 180 ml
  • 2 tsp Food Coloring or as needed, red paste
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups sugar caster or granulated, about 300g
  • ¾ cup butter softened, unsalted, 2 tbsp (200g
  • 3 egg large
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ¾ cups flour all purpose flour / plain, 2 tbsp (320g
  • ¼ tsp salt
For the vanilla frosting
  • 2 cups butter softened, unsalted, 2 tbsp (250g
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 395g
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅙ tsp salt
For the edible blood
  • ⅓ cup cranberry juice 80 ml
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
  • 1 cup corn syrup or liquid glucose, 240g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp red gel food coloring as needed
To decorate
  • 6 lychee (or as many as you like)
  • 6 cocktail cherries or as many as you like
  • 6 Candy eyes (or as many as you like)

Instructions

PREPARE THE CAKE
    Cup of Yum
  1. Combine the buttermilk and food coloring in a large mixing bowl, adding as much gel coloring as needed to achieve the perfect blood-red color. Stir in in the red wine vinegar and baking soda.
  2. Add the sugar, vanilla, softened butter and eggs and beat with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to combine.
  3. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour and salt then beat together until you have a smooth batter.
  4. Divide the batter between three greased and lined 8-inch cake pans and bake until the cakes are risen, springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Cool in the pans for five minutes then carefully turn out on to a cooling rack. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
MAKE THE EDIBLE BLOOD
  1. Combine the juice and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and bring to a simmer, stirring, until the blood thickens.
  2. Take off the heat and add red food coloring to create the desired shade. Transfer to a jar and cool before using.
PREPARE THE BUTTERCREAM
  1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy then gradually add the condensed milk, beating well. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on maximum speed setting until the buttercream is smooth and holds peaks.
MAKE THE SPOOKY EYEBALL DECORATIONS
  1. Drain a can of lychee reserving the juice or syrup to use in cocktails. Dry the lychee using paper towels.
  2. Place a candy eye inside a cocktail cherry then insert this into the lychee – our decoration is ready to use!
ASSEMBLE THE HALLOWEEN CAKE
  1. Pipe a generous layer of buttercream to sandwich the cake layers together. Drizzle with blood too, for added gore!
  2. Use off cuts from leveling the cakes can be blitzed to breadcrumb consistency in a mini chopper and used to top the cake.
  3. Drizzle the top of the cake with edible blood, allowing it to drip down the sides. Top the cake with the crumb.
  4. Secure the eyeballs with toothpicks or wooden skewers (ideally of different heights) and stick them on top of the cake. Drizzle with more blood and serve immediately!

Notes

  • Only add the decorations when you are ready to serve the cake. They will eventually start to melt due to the moisture. Remove the decorations before slicing the cake.
  • The cake layers can be prepared up to a day in advance. Cool and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Nutrition Information

Calories 732kcal (37%) Carbohydrates 76g (25%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 47g (72%) Saturated Fat 29g (145%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 12g (60%) Trans Fat 2g (100%) Cholesterol 166mg (55%) Sodium 690mg (29%) Potassium 209mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 69g (138%) Vitamin A 1477IU (30%) Vitamin C 5mg (6%) Calcium 138mg (14%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 732

% Daily Value*

Calories 732kcal 37%
Carbohydrates 76g 25%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 47g 72%
Saturated Fat 29g 145%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 2g 100%
Cholesterol 166mg 55%
Sodium 690mg 29%
Potassium 209mg 4%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 69g 138%
Vitamin A 1477IU 30%
Vitamin C 5mg 6%
Calcium 138mg 14%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.