Description
Celebrate Halloween with this fun and festive Jack-O’-Lantern Cake made from moist chocolate cake and decorated with vibrant orange and dark chocolate icings. This cake features classic Halloween imagery with candy-coated decorations that bring the pumpkin face to life, perfect for a spooky party centerpiece or festive treat.
Ingredients
Cake:
- Favorite Chocolate Cake Mix or Recipe, enough for one round layer
- Milk or water, as needed to thin icing
Frostings and Decorations:
- Buttercream Frosting, quantity as needed for crumb coat
- Chocolate Decorator Icing, 16 oz.
- Orange Icing Color, 1 oz.
- Orange Gel Food Coloring, 1 oz.
- Naturally Flavored Rich Chocolate Icing, 16 oz.
- Round candy-coated candies in black and orange for decoration
Instructions
- Prepare and bake the cake: Make your favorite chocolate cake mix or recipe and bake a single round layer according to instructions. Once baked, let the cake cool completely. Level the cake by trimming the dome off the top to create an even layer. Place the cake securely on a cake board for decorating.
- Thin and tint the chocolate icing: Add small amounts of milk or water to the naturally flavored rich chocolate icing and stir until it reaches a spreadable consistency. In a separate bowl, tint the icing orange by mixing the orange icing color and orange gel food coloring until it matches the vibrant shade of orange seen on candy pumpkins.
- Ice the cake base layer: Using a tapered spatula, apply the thinned chocolate icing carefully to ice the cake stem area (if applicable) and the interior sides of the jack-o’-lantern’s eyes, nose, and mouth cutouts. This dark chocolate icing will create the defining features of the pumpkin face.
- Ice the cake with orange frosting: With an angled spatula, spread the tinted orange icing evenly over the remaining top and sides of the cake, covering all exposed cake surfaces and blending well at the edges for a smooth finish.
- Decorate with candy: Place round black candy-coated candies on the top part of the cake designed as the stem. Then, fill the eyes, nose, and mouth cavities of the jack-o’-lantern face with remaining black candies to accentuate the facial features. Finally, scatter orange candy on the top of the cake to resemble pumpkin seeds or add extra decoration as desired.
Notes
- Ensure the cake is fully cooled before icing to prevent frosting from melting.
- Use gel food coloring for a more vibrant and stable orange color in the icing.
- Thin the chocolate icing gradually to avoid making it too runny.
- Leveling the cake layer creates a professional, flat surface for decorating.
- Adjust candy decoration quantities based on cake size and personal preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of cake)
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
