Devilishly chocolatey and indulgent, this devil's food cake traybake is easy peasy to make. The spooky Halloween-themed cake is decorated with a simple but effective spider web effect. Perfect for a Halloween party.
Devil's Food Cake is a rich, indulgent chocolate cake known for its deep, dark colour and it has a moist, light and airy texture. Traditionally made with cocoa powder, which gives it its signature dark, intense bittersweet flavour, and it is often paired with a rich chocolate or buttercream frosting, complementing the bold chocolate flavour of the cake.
Why It's Perfect for Halloween
Not only does the name make it so fitting for Halloween, Devil's Food Cake is often associated with indulgence and decadence, which makes it a perfect fit for Halloween's spooky and over-the-top themes.
Each piece of the delicious bake consists of a rich, dark, moist chocolate cake topped with a decadent chocolate ganache.
To give it a Halloween twist, I have finished the cake with a spider web effect made from white chocolate dragged through the ganache with a skewer. Simple and effective.
Finally it is dressed up with some edible candy spiders which I purchased on line but you might find in larger supermarkets in the run up to Halloween.
Ingredients
See recipe card for full instructions and quantities.
For the cake:
- Cocoa powder - Gives the cake it characteristic-rich chocolate flavour and dark colour.
- Butter - I tend to use lightly salted butter as that is what I have in the fridge. If you use unsalted butter add a pinch of salt.
- Caster Sugar - I use golden caster sugar for most of my baking. It's the same as normal caster sugar, but it's unrefined, It is a little more flavoursome with light caramel tones.
- Light muscovado sugar - Muscovado sugar is less refined than soft brown sugar and retains, much of its molasses component. Where as some soft brown sugars are actually refined white sugar with the molasses added back to it. While the two are generally interchangeable muscovado sugar is not only less processed it also has a more complex caramel like flavour, which is it why it is my preferred choice of the two.
- Vanilla extract - enhances the flavour.
Eggs - preferably free range, should be at room temperature so that they combine with the butter and sugar mixture without curdling. Eggs at room temperature also allow more air to be introduced into the batter resulting in a lighter texture. - Soured cream - helps to keep the cake moist and tender.
Plain flour - (US =all purpose) is best because it helps give the cake its light crumb. - Bicarbonate of soda This leavening agent reacts with the acidic ingredients (cocoa and sour cream) giving the cake its airy texture
- Baking powder - for additional levening
For the ganache:
- Dark chocolate - I used a chocolate with a 70% cocoa solid. A lower cocoa solid will give a milder less intense flavour
- Butter
- Golden syrup - to sweeten the ganache
- Double cream (US = heavy cream)
To complete:
- White chocolate
- candy spiders
Variations -Not Halloween!
This cake is too good to keep for just one occasion a year. At other time change the decoartion.
Swirl ganache on top, feather ice the white chocolate in lines, leave it plain, or decorate with chocolate flakes or sprinkles.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk or wholemilk natural yoghurt- can be used in place of the soured cream.
How to make halloween devils food cake step by step
Step 1
Combine the cocoa with boiling water until smooth.
Step 2
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
Step 3
Fold in the soured cream
Step 4
Fold in half the flour, followed by half the cocoa mixture, then repeat.
Step 5
Mix to a smooth batter pour into tin and spread level. Bake
Step 6
Make the ganache and allow to cool and thicken.
Step 7
Spread the ganache over the top of the cooled cake.
Step 8
Pipe circles of white chocolate over the ganache and pull a skewer through the ganache to make a web effect. Decorate with candy spiders
Top Tip
If you're going to make this recipe, make sure to follow this top tip!
If the cake peaks in the middle, use a large serrated knife and trim the top of the cake to level before adding the ganache.
Equipment
You do not need any special equipment to make and decorate this cake. If you don't have a rectangular cake tin use a roasting tin that is about the same size.
To make a paper piping bag follow this simple tutorial on you tube
How to serve
To serve, the cake can be served cut into squares staright from the tin. Alternatively carefully lift the cake out of tin and transfer to a serving platter.
TIP:
If serving straight from the tin there is no need to line the tin first. Just grease the tin really well. A light sprinkling of cocoa powder (tap out any excess) will also help release the cake from the tin.
Storage /Leftovers
The cake will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an air tight container in a cool place.
To Freeze (Cake only), cool completely. Wrap well in baking paper and clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months.
📖 Recipe
Devil Food Halloween traybake cake
Equipment
- roasting tin or rectangular cake tin approx 20x30cm(8x12in)
- Electric hand whisk
- palette knife
- small paper piping bag
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 75 g cocoa powder (3oz)
- 200 g butter (7oz) plus extra for greasing
- 200 g caster sugar (7oz)
- 175 g light muscovado sugar (6oz)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 100 ml soured cream (3½floz)
- 350 g plain flour (12oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
For the ganache:
- 275 g dark chocolate (10oz) chopped
- 75 g butter (3oz) cubed
- 50 g golden syrup (2oz)
- 300 ml double cream (½pt)
To complete:
- approx 25 g white chocolate broken into pieces (1oz)
- candy spiders
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan)/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a roasting tin with baking paper.
- Meanwhile, put (75g) cocoa powder into a small bowl and slowly stir in 275ml (9½fl oz) boiling water, mix to a smooth paste. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the 200g butter,200g caster sugar and 175g light muscovado sugar until pale and fluffy then beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- Add 3 eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Then fold in 100ml soured cream.
- Sift 350g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda together. Fold half the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, followed by half the cocoa mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour and cocoa mixture until everything is combined to form a smooth cake batter.
- Pour into the prepared baking tin and spread level. Bake for 25-30 mins or until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
To make the gnacahe
- Meanwhile, make the ganache. Place 275g chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl with 75g cubed butter and 50g golden syrup.
- Heat 300ml double cream in a saucepan stirring until it just comes to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter and stir until the chocolate and butter has melted to form a smooth ganache. Set aside to cool and thicken. It should be thick enough to spread over the cake, pop into the refrigerator if required.
To complete
- Melt about 25g white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Spoon into a small paper piping bag. When ready to pipe snip off a little bit of the tip.
- Pour the dark chocolate ganache over the top of cake and spread evenly to coat the cake with a palette knife.
- Pipe the white chocolate spider web - Pipe concentric circles offset from the centre of the cake and continue the incomplete rings to cover the top of the cake. Working quickly, use a skewer or the tip of a knife to drag lines through the chocolate ganache from the center of the circles outwards to form a cobweb like effect.
- Decorate with candy spiders
- To serve, the cake can be served cut into squares staright from the tin. Alternatively carefully lift the cake out of tin and transfer to a serving platter.
Notes
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