Description
This Halloween Black Cat Cake is a fun and festive dessert perfect for spooky celebrations. Featuring moist Devil’s Food cake layers shaped and decorated to resemble a black cat, it combines rich chocolate flavor with playful candy accents to create an eye-catching centerpiece for parties and trick-or-treat gatherings.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- Water, vegetable oil, and eggs as called for on cake mix box
Frosting and Decorations
- 2 1/2 cups from 2 tubs (16 oz total) Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy Chocolate Frosting
- 2 yellow Betty Crocker™ Fruit Gushers™ Fruit Snacks (from a 5.4-oz box) or 1 large yellow gumdrop
- 1 small black gumdrop
- Black shoestring licorice
- Tray or cardboard (20×14 inches), covered with wrapping paper and plastic food wrap or foil
- Cooking spray for cake pans
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Heat your oven to 350°F (or 325°F if using dark or nonstick pans). Spray the bottoms and sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Make and Bake Cakes: Prepare the cake batter according to the box instructions for 8- or 9-inch round pans. Pour the batter equally into the prepared pans and bake as directed. After baking, cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them and place on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze the cakes for 30 to 60 minutes until firm.
- Shape the Cake: Using a serrated knife, level the rounded tops of each cake layer and place them cut side down. Carefully cut and arrange the cake pieces on your serving tray to form the shape of a black cat as per the provided diagram (not included here). Use a small amount of frosting to attach the pieces together securely. Then, spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake to seal in crumbs. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set this crumb coat.
- Decorate the Cat: Frost the entire cake with the remaining chocolate frosting evenly. Use the yellow fruit snacks or a large yellow gumdrop for the cat’s eyes, a small black gumdrop for the nose, and black shoestring licorice to create whiskers, lines on the eyes, and front paws. Store the decorated cake loosely covered at room temperature for best taste and texture before serving.
Notes
- Chilling the cake before carving makes it easier to cut without crumbling.
- If using gumdrops instead of fruit snacks, slice large gumdrops thinly for better placement as cat eyes.
- Use plastic wrap or foil tightly on your tray to keep it clean and make cleanup easier.
- Store the cake loosely covered at room temperature to maintain frosting texture and avoid condensation.
- Diagram or template for cutting the cake into the cat shape can be found online using “Halloween black cat cake template.”
