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
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Slowly add hot coffee or boiling water, mixing until batter is smooth and thin. Do not overmix.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Assemble cake: Level layers if needed. Stack with frosting between each. Frost outside, smoothing into a rounded cauldron shape.
- Spoon green ganache over top, nudging to drip down sides. Swirl remaining ganache on top for a bubbling look.
- 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
