Description
This Jack-O’Lantern Halloween Cake is a festive, visually stunning dessert perfect for Halloween celebrations. Featuring two stacked chocolate Bundt cakes covered in vibrant orange American buttercream frosting and decorated with intricate piped pumpkin faces, vines, and a chocolate stalk, this recipe combines rich chocolate flavor with playful seasonal design. Ideal for serving a large crowd, it delivers both taste and impressive presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Tin Coating
- 125 g unsalted butter, melted
- Cocoa powder, to dust
Chocolate Bundt Cake (per cake)
- 350 g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 450 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 50 g cocoa powder, sifted
- 350 g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs (55 g each), room temperature
- 350 g milk, room temperature
Frosting
- 3 batches American Buttercream Frosting
- 8 drops orange food gel
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 100 g dark chocolate, melted
- 3 drops green food gel
- 5 drops black food gel
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake Tin Coating: Use a pastry brush or paper towel to coat the inside of a large Bundt cake tin with melted butter. Dust the tin with cocoa powder, then invert it over a sink or tray and gently tap out excess cocoa powder. Set the tin aside.
- Preheat the Oven: Set a fan-forced oven to 140°C (285°F) or 160°C (320°F) if not using a fan.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, caster sugar, bicarbonate of soda, fine salt, and sifted cocoa powder until well combined.
- Add Butter and Eggs: With mixer on low speed, gradually add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Slowly add eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the next.
- Incorporate Milk: While mixing, slowly pour in room temperature milk. Mix the batter for 3 to 4 minutes, stop and scrape the bowl sides, then mix an additional 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.
- Bake the Cake: Pour batter into the prepared cake tin, spreading evenly and smoothing the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Second Cake: Wash and dry the Bundt tin, repeat the previous steps with the second batch of batter to create the second cake. Let both cakes cool to room temperature, then use a serrated knife to level the bottoms evenly.
- Prepare Frosting for Filling and Crumb Coat: Color the buttercream frosting orange by mixing in 8 drops of orange food gel evenly. Reserve two batches for coating and filling the cake.
- Prepare Frosting for Decoration: Use the remaining batch of buttercream frosting: divide it into thirds. Mix 4 tablespoons cocoa powder and 100 g melted dark chocolate into two-thirds of it for chocolate frosting. Then, add 5 drops black food gel to one third of the chocolate frosting to make black frosting. Color the remaining one-third of the original frosting with 3 drops green food gel for green frosting.
- Assemble and Crumb Coat Cake: Dab some orange frosting onto a 10-inch cake board or large serving plate. Place the first cake curved side down. Spread orange frosting on the flat side and apply evenly. Place the second cake on top, flat side down. Apply a thin crumb coat of orange frosting over entire cake to trap crumbs. Refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
- Apply Final Orange Frosting Layer: Spread the remaining orange frosting evenly over the chilled cake. Use a spatula to smooth from bottom to top creating multiple flat edges around the cake, mimicking the shape of a pumpkin.
- Carve Pumpkin Face: Use a skewer to outline the pumpkin face on the frosting. Carefully carve the frosting (not the cake) with a small spatula or knife. Fill the carved areas with black frosting, smoothing flat to create a clean design.
- Create Pumpkin Stalk: Pipe chocolate frosting on top of the pumpkin cake to form the stalk. Use a small spatula to smooth the sides for a natural look.
- Pipe Vines and Leaves: Divide green frosting between two piping bags fitted with a leaf tip and a small round tip. Pipe round-tip vines extending from the stalk, then add leaves around the vines and trunk using the leaf tip for decorative detail.
Notes
- The Bundt pan used is the Williams Sonoma Anniversary Bundt, measuring 27 cm (10 inches) in diameter and 11 cm (4.5 inches) high. Most Bundt pans are smaller, so adjust the recipe accordingly by halving.
- Since this cake consists of two stacked Bundt cakes, double the cake ingredients for the full recipe, baking one cake at a time due to large batter volume.
- Ensure all ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature for optimal cake texture.
- Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting or sliding.
- Chilling after crumb coating helps to set the frosting and makes final decorating easier.
- Be patient when carving the pumpkin face into the frosting for the best appearance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/30th of cake)
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
