Black Cocoa Spider Web Cake
This black cocoa spider web cake is scary delicious! The rich chocolate cake layers are made with chocolate milk and the whole cake is decorated with a fudgy black cocoa frosting & melted marshmallows to create a spider web design. This spooky halloween cake will add such a fun touch to your haunted party!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the black cocoa cake:
- 160 g (1 ⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
- 236 g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 42 g (½ cup) black cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 150 g (⅔ cup) chocolate milk, room temp
- 100 g (½ cup) neutral oil
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 75 g (⅓ cup) freshly brewed hot coffee
For the black cocoa frosting:
- 227 g (16 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 340 g (12 oz) bittersweet chocolate
- 170 g (¾ cup) heavy cream
- 113 g (1 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- 42 g (½ cup) black cocoa powder, sifted
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large marshmallows, for spider web design
- Candy eyes, optional
Instructions
For the black cocoa cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and line two 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- Soak cake strips in ice cold water.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, expresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the chocolate milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until just combined.
- Lastly, whisk in the hot coffee until fully combined.
- Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans.
- Wrap the cake strips around the pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, wrap the cakes tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to decorate. (Frozen cake layers will be much easier to frost!)
For the black cocoa frosting:
- In a large saucepan, place the butter over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir it with a rubber spatula to encourage even cooking. Once the butter has fully melted, it will alternate between rapid large bubbles and gentle small foamy bubbles. The butter will be ready once it turns a dark golden color and the fat solids have darkened and settled at the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chocolate, heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Stir constantly until everything is melted and fully combined.
- Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Press plastic wrap up against the surface and place in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight. (If chilled overnight, microwave in 10 second increments until soft, then use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until smooth.)
For assembly:
- Place the first cake layer on a cake stand. Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to add 3-4 scoops of frosting. Use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer.
- Add the last cake layer and top with a few more scoops of frosting. Use the offset spatula to smooth out the top, and spread the excess all over the sides. Continue decorating the cake as desired.
- In a small bowl, add the marshmallows and microwave for 15 seconds.
- Using your hands, grab small amounts of the melted marshmallows and pull them across the cake to make spider web designs.
- Finish with candy eyes, if desired.
Notes
- Use cake strips to create flat cake layers. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strips around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Freeze the cake layers before decorating. Since this is such a moist cake, I highly recommend freezing the cake layers for at least two hours before decorating.
- If the frosting is chilled overnight... microwave it in 10 second increments until it softens up, then use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until smooth.
- Use a cookie scoop to assemble the cake. Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to add an equal amount of frosting to each layer.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 747IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg
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