Witch Cauldron Cake

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Striking cauldron look with approachable techniques

  • Moist, tender chocolate crumb made in one bowl

  • Smooth, pipeable frosting that’s easy to sculpt

  • Eye-catching neon-green ganache drip

  • Flexible decorations from simple store-bought candies

  • Make-ahead friendly for stress-free entertaining

  • Scales to different pan sizes or cupcakes

  • Balanced flavors: deep cocoa + sweet white chocolate

  • Kid-approved and party-ready

  • Reliable, repeatable results

ingredients

(Tip: You’ll find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.)

For the cake

  • All-purpose flour

  • Unsweetened cocoa powder

  • Baking powder

  • Baking soda

  • Salt

  • Granulated sugar

  • Eggs

  • Buttermilk

  • Vegetable oil

  • Vanilla extract

  • Hot coffee or boiling water

For the acid green ganache

  • White chocolate, chopped

  • Heavy cream

  • Neon green gel food coloring

For the chocolate frosting

  • Unsalted butter, softened

  • Powdered sugar

  • Unsweetened cocoa powder

  • Vanilla extract

  • Milk or cream

Decorations

  • Candy eyeballs

  • Candy bones or bone-shaped sprinkles

  • Cocoa powder or crushed chocolate sandwich cookies for “dirt”

directions

  1. Prepare the pans and oven: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round pans with parchment on the bottoms.

  2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar until evenly combined.

  3. Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.

  4. Make the batter: Pour wet into dry and whisk just to combine. Slowly stream in hot coffee, mixing until the batter is smooth and thin. Do not overmix.

  5. Bake: Divide evenly among pans. Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out to racks to cool completely.

  6. Frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Sift in powdered sugar and cocoa; mix on low, then increase speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and enough milk/cream for a thick, spreadable consistency.

  7. Ganache: Heat cream just to a simmer. Pour over chopped white chocolate; rest 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Tint with gel coloring a little at a time to reach an acid-green shade. Cool until slightly thickened and pourable.

  8. Assemble: Level layers if needed. Stack with frosting between layers. Coat top and sides with a generous layer of frosting, smoothing into a rounded “cauldron” silhouette.

  9. Drip: Spoon cooled ganache onto the center and nudge toward the edges to create natural drips. Swirl the top for a bubbling effect.

  10. Decorate: Press candy eyeballs and bones along the sides. Dust the rim with cocoa or crushed cookies for “soot,” and scatter extra bones on top. Let set before slicing.

Servings and timing

Servings: 16–20 slices
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time (cooling/assembly): 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Variations

  • Black cocoa boost: Swap in part black cocoa for a deeper, inky crumb.

  • Mint or orange twist: Add a drop or two of mint extract to ganache or zest an orange into the batter.

  • Marshmallow “bubbles”: Dot the top with mini marshmallows before ganache sets.

  • Glittering potion: Stir in a pinch of edible luster dust for shimmer.

  • Cupcake cauldrons: Bake as cupcakes; dip tops in green ganache and add eyeballs.

  • Two-pan option: Bake in two 9-inch pans; increase bake time slightly and level before stacking.

  • Extra-dark finish: Tint the frosting with black gel for a true cauldron hue.

storage/reheating

Store finished cake covered at cool room temperature up to 2 days; refrigerate up to 4 days if the room is warm. Bring to room temperature 45–60 minutes before serving for best texture.
To freeze, wrap unfrosted layers tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped at room temperature, then frost and decorate. Leftover frosted slices can be chilled until firm, wrapped well, and frozen up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator.

FAQs

Can I skip the coffee in the batter?

Yes. Use hot water; coffee simply deepens the chocolate flavor without adding coffee taste.

How do I get a true “cauldron” shape?

Apply a slightly thicker ring of frosting near the top edge and smooth for a gentle outward curve before adding ganache.

Why did my ganache slide off?

Either the cake or ganache was too warm. Chill the frosted cake 10–15 minutes and let ganache cool until thick but still pourable.

Can I color ganache with liquid dye?

Gel coloring is best; liquid can thin ganache and dull the color.

How do I make jet-black frosting?

Start with dark cocoa frosting, then add black gel color. The shade deepens as it rests.

What if I only have two 8-inch pans?

Bake two layers and a third after the pans cool, or bake two taller layers and split them once fully cooled.

How can I speed up assembly?

Chill baked layers 20 minutes before stacking to minimize crumbs and set structure.

Can I use milk chocolate in the ganache?

White chocolate is needed for bright color. Milk chocolate will brown the green.

How do I get clean slices through drips and candies?

Chill the finished cake 20 minutes, warm a sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry, and slice with gentle sawing motions.

Can I make this as cupcakes?

Yes. Bake 18–22 minutes, cool, frost, spoon on green ganache, and decorate with mini eyeballs.

Conclusion

With tender chocolate layers, silky frosting, and neon-green drips, this Witch Cauldron Cake delivers maximum Halloween drama with minimal fuss. Customize the decorations, make components ahead, and unveil a bubbling, spooky centerpiece that vanishes slice by slice.

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Witch Cauldron Cake

Witch Cauldron Cake

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  • Author: Paula
  • Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 16–20 slices
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

This Witch Cauldron Cake is a spooky Halloween centerpiece featuring moist chocolate cake layers, dark chocolate frosting, and a vivid neon-green ganache drip that mimics a bubbling potion. Finished with candy eyeballs, bones, and cookie ‘dirt,’ it’s festive, fun, and surprisingly easy to assemble.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee or boiling water

8 oz white chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

Neon green gel food coloring

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2–4 tablespoons milk or cream

Candy eyeballs (for decoration)

Candy bones or bone-shaped sprinkles (for decoration)

1/2 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies or cocoa powder (for ‘dirt’)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
  4. Slowly add hot coffee or boiling water, mixing until batter is smooth and thin. Do not overmix.
  5. Divide batter evenly among pans and bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks.
  6. For frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and cocoa, mixing on low at first, then high until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and milk/cream until spreadable.
  7. For ganache: Heat cream to a simmer and pour over white chocolate. Let sit 1 minute, then stir smooth. Tint with neon green gel coloring. Cool until slightly thick but pourable.
  8. Assemble cake: Level layers if needed. Stack with frosting between each. Frost outside, smoothing into a rounded cauldron shape.
  9. Spoon green ganache over top, nudging to drip down sides. Swirl remaining ganache on top for a bubbling look.
  10. Decorate with candy eyeballs, bones, and crushed cookies around the rim. Let set before slicing.

Notes

Use black cocoa for an extra dark cake.

Add edible glitter or luster dust to the ganache for a magical shimmer.

Make ahead: Bake cake layers up to 2 days in advance or freeze for 2 months before frosting.

If ganache slides off, chill frosted cake 15 minutes before dripping.

For cupcakes: Bake 18–22 minutes and top with green ganache and decorations.

  • Prep Time: 35 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice (1/18 of cake)
  • Calories: 480
  • Sugar: 48g
  • Sodium: 310mg
  • Fat: 24g
  • Saturated Fat: 12g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 10g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 64g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 6g
  • Cholesterol: 55mg

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