Haunted cake alarm! Spooky meringue ghosts guard this moist pumpkin cake.
this cake is made with soft pumpkin cake layers filled with homemade pumpkin butter and decorated with chocolate ganache build this spooky cake. Try this pumpkin cake not only for Halloween but for any occasion this fall! Happy baking!
Easily decorated and amazing fall flavor!
Red Velvet Halloween Cake
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (114 g) butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup (280 g) pumpkin puree
4 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp pumpkin spice
For the pumpkin butter:
1 1/2 cups (340 g) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) orange juice, or apple juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin spice
For the meringue ghosts:
3 egg whites
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
3 tbsp water
For the chocolate ganache:
1 1/2 cups (342 g) butter
9 oz (255 g) dark chocolate
For the drip:
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (40 g) dark chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Prepare the meringue ghosts up to 2 days in advance. Preheat the oven to 200 °F. Combine sugar and water in a medium sized pot and heat it with medium heat. At the same time, mix egg whites in a heat proof bowl until they reach stiff peaks. Pour the sugar sirup slowly into the beaten egg whites. Keep whisking until it is fully combined and stiff. Fill the meringue into a piping bag with a big round tip. Pipe some ghosts on to a lined baking tray and bake it at 200 °F for 2 hours. After that leave them in the oven overnight to cool out completely. The next day store them in an airtight container. Paint them with an edible marker to give them eyes and a mouth.
Step 2:
To make the cake start off with a large bowl. Combine the sugars with butter, oil and salt. Add eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and milk. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices and mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among 2 8-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 °F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut each layer one time horizontally.
Step 3:
For the pumpkin butter, mix all the ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat and leave it on the stove top for another 10 minutes to intensify its flavor. Fill it in a heat proof bowl and keep it in the fridge until needed.
For the chocolate ganache combine butter and chocolate in a pot and heat up on medium heat until melted. Whisk it until everything comes together. Let it cool to room temperature and beat it for 4 minutes until fluffy.
Step 4:
To make the cake drip heat up the heavy cream until it reaches a small simmer. Chop chocolate into small pieces and add them to a heat proof bowl. Add the hot cream and let sit for 3 minutes. Stir it until everything is well combined. If you happen to have lumps of chocolate, heat the ganache in the microwave in 10 seconds intervals until smooth. Make sure to stir it after each microwaving interval.
Step 5:
To decorate the cake, place the bottom layer on a plate and cover it with a thin layer of frosting. Top it with 1/3 cup of pumpkin butter and place the second cake layer on top. Repeat the step. Then apply the last layer and cover the cake with chocolate ganache completly. Refrigerate the cake for about 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and apply a final layer of frosting, as well as any decoration.
Enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
Bake the cake layers and make the pumpkin butter the day before to split work.
Add 1 tablespoon corn syrup to the sugar for the meringue to stabilize it.
Instead of edible marker use dark chocolate to create the ghost faces.
If the whipped chocolate ganache does not whip well after cooling, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes and whisk it again for 4 minutes.
A nice substitute is chocolate buttercream instead of the whipped ganache.
