Halloween Cake with a surprise inside
This festive cake is covered in black buttercream, for added flavor use chocolate frosting and make it black with some black gel food coloring. If you use white frosting you have to add quite a bit of black food coloring, so adding cocoa will help the color to look rich and taste delicious too.
The outside may look like a typical Halloween Cake,
but with Halloween you can never be sure what you’ll find…
You didn’t expect this did you?
It reminds me of when you go trick or treating to someones house on Halloween night and it seems all calm and normal from the outside. Then they answer the door and dressed up in some creepy scary costume and the eerie music starts playing and you think to yourself, Do I really want their candy?
Well inside this cake it’s not really eerie or scary, but it catches you off guard.
It all started with this.
I prepared two batches of white cake mix, from a large bag mix. I seperated them into four bowls to tint.
I mixed fun colors of orange, green, purple and white, yes I made it even whiter with Americolor white food coloring.
I wanted to make sure it stood out against the other colors and it worked.
I put different amounts of each cake mix into two 7 inch pans and created a swirled design.
The cakes were baked according to the directions and cooled.
I leveled off the tops so they would stack neatly.
I inverted the top cake so the design would not be identical but a mirror image once sliced with the bottom cake.
Now for the frosting.
I started with 2 store bought chocolate frosting and tinted it black. (using Americolor Super Black Coloring) I used some in between the two cakes. Then I heated it in the microwave for 30 seconds and stirred it, and poured it on top of the cake.
Yes, poured it.
I wanted a quick and easy way to frost the cake.
I then spread it out with an offset spatula.
I didn’t fuss with it, just gave the sides a quick swoop and smoothed out the top.
I added white frosting to write Boo!
Then added black jimmies to the edge.
The fun began when I cut into it, what a fun cake!
More Halloween treats:
Chocolate Pumpkin Mummy Cut Out Cookies
SweetSugarBelle says
I really was expecting a ghost! HOW CUTE, and a real surprise!
dudut @mytwistedrecipe says
this is so cool! and yes, i did not expect that colorful cake! what a brilliant idea!
love your blog by the way 🙂
Bediels & Co says
What a fun cake!!
Easton Place Designs says
Gahhh!!! Wow, wow, wow… I love this and will be trying it for my Halloween Bash 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Amanda says
Great job! Its so cool!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
So fun! Definitely unexpected!
Paula says
BOO! You are such fun! Love your cake.
Sara @ Mom Endeavors says
How totally cool! I love this idea!! Just pinned it! 🙂
Sue says
Spectacular surprise! Beutiful job, Diane.
Not So Average Mama says
What a super fun cake!
Amy says
This is such a fun and beautiful cake. 🙂 Love that surprise inside.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
Now that’s a holiday cake! I love the step-by-step instructions.
Mari J says
Love the cake!!! I think I might try making some cupcakes like this.
Kelli says
I love it! The colors are so fun! And apparently I need to find some of that white coloring because I love the contrast between the white and all the swirled colors!
Cookbook Queen says
Love the colors, Diane!! So pretty.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
What fun! The grandkids will love this.
Lauren @ KeepItSweet says
I love how surprising that cake is, it looks fantastic!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Oh I can just imagine the squeals of delight to cut into a cake like this in front of the kids!!!
Brandie (@ Home Cooking Memories) says
Very cool!
Karen says
OMG I love this!
Cassie @ Bake Your Day says
This is so clever, Diane. That last picture is fun and festive!
Desiree says
WOW!
I would love to feature your cake. Would you mind to share it on my link party?
AMAZING JOB!
Sue/the view from great island says
Wow—pop art meets Halloween cake. You mastered the swirls, they are very impressive!
alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
cute!!
Marla says
Love the secret surprise!! Such a fun cake for adults & kids.
averagebetty says
That is the most amazing cake I have ever seen! Rock it, Diane!!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
How cool! What a fun cake for Halloween.
Kathy - Panini Happy says
Whoa – that was a cool surprise!
Eve says
that looks so cool! diane i was wondering where do you buy cupcake liners from? can you recommend a vendor? Thanks!
Diane says
I buy from some local places(two cake supply stores for decorated liners, my favorite white liners are Glassine from Smart and Final) or order from https://www.sweetbakingsupply.com/
Roxana GreenGirl says
How cool! Love the colorful surprise. So much fun to cut slices, all will be different!
susan says
wow-so festive, Diane! I love this psycho cake – my kids would dig this as well!
naomi says
I love this suprise. I was expecting a ghost to. I love this better! So easy, fun and colorful.
Maria says
Such a fun cake! Love the bright colors inside!
Krista {Budget Gourmet Mom} says
Oh. My. Goodness. That is just too much fun! I love it!
Kathy Murphy says
I totally didn’t see that coming.! What a great idea – i’m not just saying this either …. I am going to make that cake.
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
LOVE the crazy interior of this cake – way cool!
Katrina says
What a great cake!
Courtney Velasquez says
Awesome cake Diane!
Courtney says
Very cute, love the colors!
Tickled Red says
I just love your cake 🙂 It’s so vibrant and fun!
Valentina says
you just got big ooohs & aaahs from my kids! they’d like to eat this cake NOW!
Karen @ Trilogy Edibles says
Just thought I’d let you know that I’m featuring this tomorrow on my blog!
Diane says
YIPPEE!!! Thanks great thanks so much for letting me know.
Kristin says
I want to do this, that is fantastic!!! Did you use 2 white cake mixes? Or is it just one mix in layers, it looks tall? Are the food colorings, gel or liquid food colorings?
Diane says
Hi Kristin,
I used two batches of cake mix from a large bag I get at smart and final. I used two 7 in cake pans. The food coloring I use is Americolor it’s a gel color with little taste. I would make plenty of cake mix if I were you, it looks nice because it’s tall. Take into account the size of the pans you are using also. I can’t wait to hear how it comes out 🙂
~Diane
Sherry D Brice says
I am SOOOOOOO gonna make this cake. What fun the kids will have eating it once they stop giggling. :~)
Possible Baker says
Great surprise!! The inside is my kind of scary:) The colors definetly have their own spookiness going on! And it looks delicious… I want to lick some of that chocolate frosting!
Jessie B. @ Possible Baker
Carolyn says
Oh my gosh, I love it! How fun!
Tabbi says
This is great…. I was looking for an idea for my child’s birthday which is today! So I’ve baked the cakes, they’re cooling right now and I can’t wait to frost it and cut into it! Thank you ever so much for the idea…. This is great and something I will be teaching my daughter!!!!
@—{——————
Diane says
What a fun cake for a birthday 🙂 Hope she enjoys it.
Tabbi says
She did! Everyone did… I think I did well for a first time…
Thank you for sharing!
Diane says
oh I’m so glad to hear it, feel free to share a photo with me!
Tammy says
Awesome cake ideas thanks so much for sharing theze! I book marked this page to share with my daughter!
Anne Burgess says
Love the spectacular color surprise! Have to make one for Hallow’s Eve ; ) Thank you for sharing your secret-we all love it! <3
Ashley Clark says
Totally making this for my sister’s birthday which is close to Halloween! Thanks!
Carol says
Oh I love this! My current obsession is paint pouring which looks like the swirls in the batter. Pinned this to try!
Carla says
Could you use 3 8” pans? If this is possible, how would you stack them to have the design like yours?
Diane says
you can use any pan sizes you prefer, yes 2 8″ pans will work you may have leftover batter if they are 2″ in height (If you are using 2 boxes of cake mix) you can also bake white cake from scratch if you prefer. Depending on how you swirl the colors into the pan will determine how the result looks, don’t swirl too much or they will “blend” together and look muted, the orange is most prominent and I was sure to leave some white cake batter so the cake looked bright, I’ve seen this done with darker colors and it looks good too, it’s just preference really.