Graveyard Chocolate Cake

By lisalang

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
• Frosting:
• 5 sticks (2 1/2 cups) butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and softened
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 1/2 cups milk chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Decorations:
• 1/2 (9-ounce) box chocolate wafer cookies
• 1 tube black icing
• 1 bag chocolate sandwich cookies (recommended: Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies)
• Candy rocks
• Candy pumpkins
• Candy Bones, recipe follows
• Chocolate Tree, recipe follows
• White cotton candy

Preparation

Step 1

Divide the batter between the cake pans, spreading evenly, and bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of each layer, then invert them onto racks. Peel off paper and cool layers completely.

Frosting: In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the butter, salt, and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Whisk on medium-high until smooth and fluffy.

Assemble the cake by using 1 cup frosting to frost between the layers, and then frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

To decorate the graveyard cake: Finely crush the chocolate wafer cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or use a food processor. Sprinkle the top of the cake generously with cookie crumbs. Write "RIP" and other scary words on the chocolate sandwich cookies with black icing. Cut slits in the cake to insert cookies for gravestones, and add candy rocks, pumpkins, Candy Bones, Chocolate Trees and cotton candy. Arrange Candy Bones around the base of the cake.