Happy Halloween, Happy Bake Together! Well… the scariest holiday of the year is still some days away, but if you want to make something special you have to prepare a bit in advance. This Halloween Spider Web Pumpkin Chocolate Cake needs some time and attention, so starting a bit early is actually necessary if you won’t want to be in a rush on Halloween. Timing is bloody everything! ;P
Well… making it the day before is also fine if you can handle the stress ;P Andrea from Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte is the best example for that. We do our “Bake Together – The Baking Surprise” for several years already and give each other a new task each month… Andrea is normally very spontaneous when it comes to baking – I need weeks of planning in advance. Everything else stresses me out ;P Well… saying that – this cake here was a spontaneous decision. We actually decided on a different topic for October in summer already but changed everything only a few days ago because… well, Halloween! We totally forgot (or ignored) that this holiday was coming up and we went for a non-scary topic first. Well. Now the topic is “Halloween Cakes”… who would have guessed, right?! ;)
Fall and Halloween are prime seasons for pumpkins – they are basically everywhere around us and often end up in the food. Because of that, I decided to go for pumpkin cake layers for this little Halloween monstrosity. The flavor is great, the cake layers are moist and the color is perfect for a Halloween-themed cake – perfect in combination with the black buttercream ;) You could also make a red velvet cake here, but that is sooooo much food color. With pumpkin puree, you get a nice color without any artificial colors.
Pumpkin cakes are delicious and have a great texture. They are quite compact, but that is perfect for a layered cake, to be honest. There is nothing worse than a dry cake that crumbles when you bite into it or falls apart when cut, right? For the buttercream, I chose to go for a Russian buttercream. That type of buttercream is super easy to make with sweetened condensed milk and has the perfect texture to decorate a cake. The black cocoa I used gave the buttercream a really nice dark, almost black color. In combination with the orange from the pumpkin cakes a really nice “Halloweeny” look for the cake ;) You won’t get the buttercream pitch black with the cocoa only, so if you want to go all dark, you have to add some additional black food color… but I actually think it is not needed. Colored buttercream tends to darken a bit more over time anyway…
Well, about those spiderwebs… That is probably the most fun part of the cake and also the most “disgusting” step when making the cake ;) It looks great, but also makes a huge mess! You have to heat up some marshmallows in the microwave to get them soft and gooey – the result has to be squished between your fingers and then you have to pull everything apart – that’s how you create those strings aka. spiderweb structure… It really looks like something you pulled from your basement that was created by real spiders :P That’s the fun part. Unfortunately, this also makes a big mess. Everything sticks to your fingers and everywhere else. I had to wash my monster paws constantly – otherwise I would have been caught in those spiderwebs at the end completely, sticky marshmallow strings everywhere. Besides that – fun and super easy ;P
Note: You should cool the cake really well before decorating, so the buttercream is nice and firm. When you are pulling the spiderwebs around the cake, you might experience some difficulties if the buttercream is not cooled enough and still a bit soft. Those spiderweb strings start to “harden” (not really hard, but they firm up) pretty quickly when they cool down. In combination with a soft buttercream, you will probably create cuts in the edges of the cake when pulling the spiderwebs over the cake. Would be a pity if you took your time to smooth out the sides and edges of the cake and then destroy everything with those marshmallow strings ;)
Anyway. If you want to decorate even further, you can add some “scary” chocolate decorations as well. Bats, pumpkins, spiders – they are easy to create with some melted chocolate and a piece of sandwich paper. I was too lazy for that, to be honest, and used my Chocolate 3D Printer (Advertising link) instead ;P
And now… what did Andrea bake? Since our topic was “Halloween cake” it could be anything I guess. We should check her blog, right? ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
4 large eggs, at room temperature
14 oz. (400g) pumpkin puree
1 cup (200g) sugar (or xylitol)
1/2 cup (120ml) coconut oil
1/4 cup (60ml) sunflower oil
1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (260g) spelt flour
1 cup (100g) ground almonds
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
For the buttercream:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100g) black cocoa powder*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
14 oz. (400g) sweetened condensed milk*
black powder* or gel* food color (optional)
For the decoration:
3-4 large marshmallows
Halloween chocolate decorations
sprinkles
4 Eier (L), Zimmertemperatur
400g Kürbispüree
200g Zucker (oder Xylit)
120ml Kokosöl
60ml Sonnenblumenöl
60g Schmand
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
260g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)
100g Mandelmehl
3 TL Kürbiskuchengewürz
2 TL Backpulver
1 TL Natron
1/2 TL Salz
Für die Buttercreme:
230g weiche Butter
100g schwarzes Kakaopulver*
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
1/4 TL Salz
400g gezuckerte Kondensmilch*
schwarze Lebensmittelfarbe, als Pulver* oder Gel* (optional)
Für die Dekoration:
3-4 große Marshmallows
Halloween Schoko-Dekoration
Sprinkles
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, coconut oil, sunflower oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Mix the flour with the ground almonds, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the three tins and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack, then remove from the tins and let cool down completely.
3. For the buttercream add the room temperature (!) butter to a large bowl and mix on high speed for about 5-6 minutes until very light and fluffy. Sift the cocoa into the bowl and mix in (start slow or the cocoa will be everywhere). Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix in as well – another 2-3 minutes. While still mixing gradually add the sweetened condensed milk – do this very slowly or the buttercream might curdle. Continue mixing until you get a nice and fluffy buttercream. The black cocoa will get your buttercream pretty dark, but if you want it even darker add some black food color and mix in well (optional).
4. Cut off the domed tops of the cakes. Place a cake layer on a serving plate and spread some buttercream evenly on top. Add the second cake layer on top and repeat with some more buttercream and then the last cake layer. Coat the complete cake with a thin crumb coat of buttercream – smooth out the top and sides and place the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Coat the cake with the remaining buttercream (keep some for the decoration) and place it back in the fridge for about 1 hour.
5. Add the marshmallows to a small bowl and microwave on high for about 20 seconds until soft and puffed up. Let them cool down a moment and then take some of the fluffy stuff between your fingers (it will be very sticky) and pull it apart – it should look like “strings” from a cobweb. Pull apart until it is larger than the cake and then place it on top of the cake and the sides. Repeat several times until the cake is covered with spider webs. Decorate the cake with the remaining buttercream, chocolate decorations like bats or pumpkins, and some sprinkles. Store in the fridge until serving.
2. Die Eier mit dem Kürbispüree, Zucker, Kokosöl, Sonnenblumenöl, Schmand und Vanille Extrakt in eine große Schüssel geben und gut verrühren. Mehl mit Mandelmehl, Kürbiskuchengewürz, Backpulver, Natron und Salz vermischen und dann zur großen Schüssel dazugeben und nur kurz unterrühren. Den Teig gleichmäßig auf die drei Formen aufteilen und dann etwa 35-40 Minuten backen – mit einem Zahnstocher testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt und die Kuchen erst herausnehmen, wenn der Zahnstocher sauber herauskommt. Kuchen aus dem Ofen holen und auf einem Kuchengitter abkühlen lassen, dann aus der Form lösen und komplett auskühlen lassen.
3. Für die Buttercreme die weiche (!) Butter in eine große Schüssel geben und auf höchster Stufe etwa 5-6 Minuten aufschlagen, bis sie hell und luftig aussieht. Den Kakao in die Schüssel sieben und unterrühren (langsam anfangen, sonst landet der Kakao überall). Vanille Extrakt und Salz hinzufügen und ebenfalls unterrühren für weitere 2-3 Minuten. Während die Maschine läuft, die gezuckerte Kondensmilch nach und nach sehr langsam zur Schüssel dazugeben und unterrühren – auf höchster Stufe aufschlagen, bis eine fluffige Creme entsteht. Durch den schwarzen Kakao wird die Buttercreme recht dunkel, wer ein tiefes Schwarz haben möchte, der sollte noch etwas schwarze Lebensmittelfarbe dazugeben (optional).
4. Die gewölbten Oberflächen der Kuchen zuschneiden, falls notwendig und dann eine erste Kuchenschicht auf eine Servierplatte setzen. Etwas Buttercreme darauf verteilen und eine zweite Schicht aufsetzen. Mit einer weiteren Buttercreme-Schicht und Kuchenschicht wiederholen. Die Torte dann rundum/oben dünn mit Buttercreme einstreichen (um die Kuchenkrümel einzuschließen) und für etwa 30 Minuten in den Kühlschrank stellen. Wenn die Creme fest geworden ist, eine weitere Schicht Buttercreme auftragen und die komplette Torte sauber einstreichen – etwas von der Buttercreme für die Dekoration zurückbehalten. Torte für etwa 1 Stunde zurück in den Kühlschrank stellen.
5. Die Marshmallows in eine kleine Schüssel geben und in der Mikrowelle für etwa 20 Sekunden erhitzen, bis sie aufpuffen und weich werden. Etwas abkühlen lassen und dann etwas von der (sehr klebrigen) Masse zwischen die Finger nehmen und auseinander ziehen, bis es nach Spinnweben aussieht. So weit auseinander ziehen, bis die Fäden/Spinnweben über die Torte gezogen werden können. Diesen Vorgang mehrmals wiederholen und die Oberseite und die Seiten mit vielen dieser Spinnweben dekorieren. Die verbliebene Buttercreme auf die Torte aufspritzen und mit Schoko-Dekorationen (Fledermäuse oder Kürbisse) und einigen bunten Sprinkles dekorieren. Bis zum Servieren im Kühlschrank aufbewahren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Halloween Spiderweb Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 00:50
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 04:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: American
Description
Happy Halloween! Let’s celebrate this day with some Spiderweb Pumpkin Chocolate Cake!
Ingredients
For the cake layers:
4 large eggs, at room temperature
14 oz. (400g) pumpkin puree
1 cup (200g) sugar (or xylitol)
1/2 cup (120ml) coconut oil
1/4 cup (60ml) sunflower oil
1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (260g) spelt flour
1 cup (100g) ground almonds
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
For the buttercream:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100g) black cocoa powder*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
14 oz. (400g) sweetened condensed milk*
black powder* or gel* food color (optional)
For the decoration:
3-4 large marshmallows
Halloween chocolate decorations
sprinkles
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease three 6 inches (15cm) springform tins and set aside.
2. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, coconut oil, sunflower oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Mix the flour with the ground almonds, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the three tins and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack, then remove from the tins and let cool down completely.
3. For the buttercream add the room temperature (!) butter to a large bowl and mix on high speed for about 5-6 minutes until very light and fluffy. Sift the cocoa into the bowl and mix in (start slow or the cocoa will be everywhere). Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix in as well – another 2-3 minutes. While still mixing gradually add the sweetened condensed milk – do this very slowly or the buttercream might curdle. Continue mixing until you get a nice and fluffy buttercream. The black cocoa will get your buttercream pretty dark, but if you want it even darker add some black food color and mix in well (optional).
4. Cut off the domed tops of the cakes. Place a cake layer on a serving plate and spread some buttercream evenly on top. Add the second cake layer on top and repeat with some more buttercream and then the last cake layer. Coat the complete cake with a thin crumb coat of buttercream – smooth out the top and sides and place the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Coat the cake with the remaining buttercream (keep some for the decoration) and place it back in the fridge for about 1 hour.
5. Add the marshmallows to a small bowl and microwave on high for about 20 seconds until soft and puffed up. Let them cool down a moment and then take some of the fluffy stuff between your fingers (it will be very sticky) and pull it apart – it should look like “strings” from a cobweb. Pull apart until it is larger than the cake and then place it on top of the cake and the sides. Repeat several times until the cake is covered with spider webs. Decorate the cake with the remaining buttercream, chocolate decorations like bats or pumpkins, and some sprinkles. Store in the fridge until serving.
Notes
Happy Halloween!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
