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Halloween Drip Cake

This Halloween Drip Cake has four layers of chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream, a chocolate drip and a hidden piñata centre.  
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time55 minutes
Decorating Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Keyword: Drip Cake, Halloween
Servings: 12 Servings
Author: Sarah Mark

Ingredients

For the Cakes

  • 500 g Light Brown Sugar
  • 500 g Unsalted Butter or Stork
  • 450 g Self-Raising Flour
  • 50 g Cocoa Powder
  • 10 Large Eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 50 ml Whole Milk

For the Buttercream

  • 1 kg Icing Sugar
  • 500 g Unsalted Butter
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 3-4 tbsp Whole Milk (optional)
  • Green Food Colouring
  • Orange Food Colouring
  • Purple Food Colouring

For the Pinata and Decoration

  • 150 g Gummy Worms
  • 150 g Gummy Brains
  • 156 g Mini Goo Heads
  • 125 g M&Ms
  • Spooky Cobwebs
  • Edible Eyes
  • Halloween Sprinkles

For the Chocolate Drip

  • 150 g Milk Chocolate
  • 150 ml Double Cream

Instructions

To Make the Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 160C (140C Fan). Line two 8” cake tins with greaseproof paper and leave them to one side.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until all are combined.
  • Pour the mixture into the cake tins and bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes. You will know they are ready when they are springy to touch.
  • Leave them to cool in the cake tin for 15-20 minutes and then remove and put them on a wire rack to cool fully.

To Make the Buttercream

  • In a bowl mix together the icing sugar, butter and vanilla until combined. If the buttercream is too thick add 1 tbsp of milk and mix again. Repeat until the buttercream is the desired consistency.
  • Split the mixture equally into three bowls.
  • Add the orange food colouring to one bowl, the purple to another and the green to a third bowl.
  • Add a little food colouring at a time and mix. Add more and repeat until you have the desired colour.
  • Add the buttercream into three separate piping bags with a large round nozzle and leave to one side.

Putting it All Together

  • Level the cakes and cut each one in half so you have four layers.
  • Using a 5" cookie cutter cut a hole in the centre of 3 of the cakes and leave them to one side.
  • Place your first cake (one with the centre missing) onto your cake board/serving plate. Pipe the orange buttercream around the edge of the cake, then pipe the green next to it, then purple moving closer to the centre of the cake.
  • Stack the next two cakes (ones with the centres missing)with the same technique.
  • Fill the centre of your cake with your chocolates and sweets. Once it is completely full put your final cake on top.
  • Pipe or spread the green buttercream around the bottom of the cake. Spread or pipe the purple in the middle and the orange on the top of the cake.
  • Using your smoother, smooth around the sides, if there are any gaps fill these with the buttercream and continue to smooth around the sides until the cake is smooth. You will most likely take some of the buttercream off the cake if you do pop this back into your bowl.
  • To smooth the top edges of the cake, use a palette knife and smooth any buttercream into the top of the cake.
  • Leave the cake to one side.

To Make the Chocolate Drip

  • Add the double cream to a heatproof bowl and warm in the microwave. You don't want the cream to be boiling but you don't want it to be too cold either. The perfect temperature is when you remove the cream from the microwave it should have steam coming from it.
  • Add your chocolate to a separate bowl and pour over the double cream. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before mixing.
  • Once you have mixed it, if there are any stubborn lumps of chocolate put the entire bowl back into the microwave for 10-20 seconds and mix again.
  •  Pop the chocolate ganache into a piping bag and snip off the end.
  • Put the edge of the piping bag on the side of the cake and squeeze gently. To get the drip I hold the piping bag ever so slightly away from the cake. If you have any left-over chocolate pipe it onto the top of your cake and smooth.
  • Put the cake into the fridge until the chocolate has set.

Finishing Touches

  • Once the chocolate ganache has set, pipe any leftover buttercream on top and decorate with leftover chocolate and sweets.

Notes

  • This cake will last 3+ days in an airtight container.