This spooky, dark chocolate Halloween cake is perfect for any ghoulish celebration!
Halloween is just around the corner! This Spooky Halloween Gingerbread House Cake is the perfect chocolate cake dessert to make for the holiday! If you love chocolate cakes, then definitely try these: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream, Dulce de leche filled chocolate cupcakes, Triple Chocolate Poke Cake, or this Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache Glaze!
What gives this cake that ultra black color?
This chocolate cake made with black dutched processed cocoa, which gives it that deep dark color. There’s no activated charcoal in this cake, which is often used to make baked goods black. I’ve used it often as well.
Dutched cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been treated with an alkaline solution to neutralize acidity, which makes it darker than regular cocoa powder. Black dutched processed cocoa powder is ultra Dutched. It has smoother non-bitter taste.
What are some of the ingredients used in this Spooky Halloween Gingerbread House Cake?
Flour- All purpose flour is used in the cake and the cookies.
Sugar- Dark brown sugar is used in the cookies to give it a more chewy texture. Granulated sugar is used in the cake, and powdered sugar is used in the icing and frosting.
Cocoa Powder- Black dutched processed cocoa is used throughout the recipe o give the cake and cookies an ultra dark spooky look!
Butter-Unsalted butter is used in the cookies and the frosting. Some use salted butter, but I like to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Oil- vegetable oil is used in the cake. Oil makes the cake texture softer. Canola oil can also be used.
How are the Halloween Gingerbread Cookies made?
To make the cookies, add dark brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla to bowl and beat until smooth. Dark brown sugar is best to get that dark gingerbread cookie look. There is no molasses in this recipe, which usually helps with that.
Add in the spices to get that gingerbread taste. Add in the flour then rap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You want the dough slightly firm so it can be rolled out.
Roll the dough out then with a sharp knife or Exacto knife, cut out shapes of houses by making 2 parallel line cuts for the body of the house, then a triangle cut top for the roof. It should be one whole shape. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake the cookies then cool completely before decorating.
How are the Halloween Gingerbread Cookies decorated?
You can really decorate the cookies any way you want to. I like to use a chocolate royal icing so that the cookies look really smooth.
Spread a little orange frosting where the windows will be. You want them to stand out, so use a bright color like orange. Then pipe the cookies with the royal icing without covering the windows. Let the icing dry for several hours, up to 24 hours, before adding more decorations.
Using black buttercream frosting, pipe dots along the tops of the cookies to make the roof. Another style is to pipe dots to fill in the roof completely. Also, pipe lines to make a door. You can also add candy pumpkins, bats and ghosts to make them most festive! These can be purchased from sites like Amazon, Michael’s or Etsy. Or, if you want, you can make them yourself by using white, orange and black royal icing on food safe plastic stencil sheets to pipe these images and letting them dry before placing them on the cookies.
How is the cake put together?
To make the cake, add all of the ingredients and bake into 2 eight inch layers. Cool the cake completely, then frost the cake with black chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Making the Black velvet cake with black buttercream makes a dark and spooky Halloween cake!
Here’s a link to get The Cocoa Trader Dutch Processed Black Cocoa Powder on Amazon
Add the gingerbread cookies around the sides of the cake while the frosting is still wet. You want to make sure the cookies stick.
This cake is the perfect spooky dessert for Halloween!
Frequently Asked Questions
What else can you use besides royal icing?
You can just use regular black buttercream, but the surfaces will probably not be as smooth.
Can this cake be frozen?
To freeze, remove the cookies and cake in plastic wrap twice until it’s fully sealed. Place in the freezer and freeze up to 3 months. Wrap the cookies separately and freeze as well. To serve, place both the cake and the cookies on the counter until thawed.
Do you have to use black dutch processed cocoa?
You can technically use any type of cocoa powder. Regular cocoa will make the chocolate cake brown. Dutch processed cocoa will make the chocolate cake very dark brown. Black dutch processed cocoa will make the chocolate cake black.
These are some other great Halloween themed bakes:
Spooky Black Buttercream Frosted Red Velvet Cake
Halloween Themed Blackberry Apple Pie
Chocolate Skeleton Gingerbread Men
Ghoulish Blueberry Pie
Halloween Ghost Chocolate Ganache Filled Linzer Cookies
Spooky Halloween Gingerbread House Cake
This spooky, dark chocolate Halloween cake is perfect for any ghoulish celebration!
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting
Orange Frosting for the window
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 drops orange food color
Chocolate Royal Icing
- 1/3 cup meringue powder
- 1/2 cup warm water + more if necessary
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp Dutched processed black cocoa
- 3-5 drops black food gel
Chocolate Frosting for Cookies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup Dutched processed black cocoa
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp milk
- 1-3 drops black food gel
Chocolate Cake
- 2 eggs, large, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup black dutched processed cocoa
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup boiling water or coffee
Chocolate Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2/3 cup black dutched processed cocoa
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
- Pre-Heat the oven to 350°F. Combine brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until smooth, then add the eggs and mix again. Add the cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, and salt, and beat the mixture until incorporated. Sprinkle in the flour and continue mixing to form a stiff dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Trim a piece of parchment paper to fit a cookie sheet, then Sprinkle it with flour. Place half of the dough on the parchment. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. With a sharp knife or Exacto knife, cut out shapes of houses by making 2 parallel line cuts for the body of the house, then a triangle cut top for the roof. It should be one whole shape.Cut out more houses (in different sizes) about 1 inch apart from each other. Remove the dough around the houses without moving the houses from the parchment. Repeat with remaining dough and scraps on additional cookie sheets.Bake each sheet for 10-15 minutes or until they just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before decorating.
Orange Frosting for the window
- Add butter to a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat to spreadable consistency. Add 1-2 drops of orange food color, and add more if needed. Stir until the color is incorporated and set aside
Chocolate Royal Icing
- To a stand mixer with the whisk attachment add meringue powder and ½ warm water, and whisk for about 1-2 minutes until doubled in size. Add vanilla extract, the powdered sugar, and the dutched processed cocoa powder and switch to a paddle attachment, then beat until incorporated. Add in light corn sugar and beat some more. The icing should be thick, but not too thick. Add additional warm water ½ teaspoon at a time until you have a pipeable consistency. Add the icing to a piping bag, and snip off a very small area of the tip. Take about a teaspoon of the orange frosting and spread it where the windows will go. Pipe a border of the chocolate icing around the house. Pipe rectangles where the windows will go, around the orange frosting. Fill in or flood the rest of the surface of the cookie with the icing. Use a cookie scribbler or a toothpick to fill in any gaps in the frosting. Allow cookies to dry for about 24 hours.
Chocolate Frosting for Cookies
- Add butter and cocoa to a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Alternately add powdered sugar, and heavy cream, beating to spreadable consistency. Add a small amount of milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla and black food gel.Add frosting into a piping bag. Snip off the tip of the bag and use it to draw a door on the front of the house. Also pipe dots of frosting to outline the top edges of the cookies for the roof. You can also use enough dots to fill in the entire roof surface. Add candy pumpkins, ghosts and bats with a drop of frosting as glue, if desired.
Chocolate Cake
- Pre-Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 8 inch round baking pans with baking spray. Set aside.In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy and lighter in color. Add the oil, cocoa powder and vanilla and beat the mixture for about 30 seconds. Add in the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add the flour 1 cup at a time, and beat the batter just until combined. Stir in the boiling water or coffee. Divide the batter equally between the 2 prepared pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Chocolate Frosting
- Add butter, cream cheese and cocoa to a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Alternately add powdered sugar and heavy cream, beating to spreadable consistency. Add a small amount of additional heavy cream, if needed. Stir in vanilla.
Assemble
- Level each cake with a knife or a leveler. Add frosting to the bottom layer then add the second cake layer on top.Add frosting to the sides and top of the cake. Smooth with a spatula or cake scraper. Place the cookies all around the cake. Add a few cookies to the top of the cake if desired.
