Chocolate blackberry elegantly gothic Halloween cake - three layers of moist chocolate cake, filled with blackberry jam, iced with blackberry swiss meringue buttercream & topped with blackberry ganache & chocolate bark
It does occur to me that seeing as my blog name is the Domestic Gothess there is a serious lack of gothic bakes...this cake is here to rectify that oversight. I went all out with the food colouring for this one so make sure that you have a couple of pots of each colour, one probably won't be enough!
This is a Halloween cake for those of you who don't like the gory side to the holiday, but it isn't just about the decoration; take away the food colouring and bits on top and you are left with an utterly delicious chocolate blackberry cake which would be suitable for any occasion.
Indeed you don't even really need the colouring as the blackberry puree in the buttercream dyes it a beautiful natural shade of purple, and the blackberry ganache is a purply-red; natural just wasn't what I was going for here!
There are three layers of moist chocolate cake (dyed black), filled with blackberry jam and iced with blackberry swiss meringue buttercream, topped with blackberry ganache and purple marbled chocolate bark shards and black fondant roses; it is delicious, decadent and thoroughly over the top gothic.
I baked the cakes in three 15cm/6inch cake tins for a really tall but not overly large cake, but you can also use two 20cm/8inch ones instead.
I used a couple of different types of dye, black gel
It is very important to use only powdered or oil based food colouring for the chocolate, as if you use a water based one (including gel) your chocolate may seize. I used shop bought black fondant to make the roses on top, following this tutorial.
Don't be intimidated by the long recipe, the cakes can be baked the day before assembly, or even a good while in advance if you wrap them well once cold and freeze them; just remove them from the freezer an hour or so before you want to ice them.
The chocolate bark can be made up to a week ahead and stored in an airtight container; the fondant roses can be made a couple of days in advance, in fact it is best to do so so they can dry out.
However, I don't recommend making the buttercream or ganache in advance; you can make the buttercream a few days ahead and store it in the fridge, but if you leave it sitting around for any length of time (even for a couple of hours) you may find that it splits (don't worry, this doesn't happen once the cake has been iced).
This isn't the end of the world and if it happens all you need to do is microwave a dollop of the buttercream until it melts then gradually drizzle it back into the remaining buttercream while whisking at a high speed and it will come back together.
You will probably have a bit of blackberry puree left over after making the buttercream and ganache, don't throw it away, it will keep in the fridge for a few days and is delicious swirled into yoghurt or with pancakes.
More Halloween Recipes:
- Witches' finger cookies
- Chocolate glazed black cat doughnuts
- Mini bleeding heart Halloween cakes
- Haunted pavlova
- Meringue bone palace Halloween cake
- Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin pies
- Monochrome cake
If you tried this recipe why not tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Chocolate Blackberry Elegantly Gothic Halloween Cake Recipe:
Chocolate Blackberry Elegantly Gothic Halloween Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 60 g (½ cup) cocoa powder, sifted
- 6 tablespoon boiling water
- 4 teaspoon black gel food colouring optional
- 100 g (⅓ cup + 1 heaped tbsp) softened butter
- 175 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) caster sugar
- 175 g (1 + ½ cups) self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs beaten
Chocolate Bark
- 150 g (5oz) dark chocolate, chopped
- 75 g (3 oz) white chocolate, chopped
- about ½ teaspoon purple powdered food colouring optional (DO NOT use water based colouring (including gel), powdered or oil based only)
Blackberry Puree
- 500 g (17 oz) blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- 50 g (¼ cup) sugar
Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 200 g egg white (5 large)
- 275 g (1 + ⅓ cup) caster sugar
- 375 g (1 + generous ½ cup) softened butter
- 125 g blackberry puree (⅓ + ⅛ cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- about 1 teaspoon purple gel or powdered food colouring optional
Blackberry Ganache
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
- 100 g blackberry puree (generous ⅓ cup)
- 30 ml (⅛ cup) full fat milk, plus extra as needed
- 30 g (2 tbsp) butter
- about 1 teaspoon black gel food colouring optional
To Assemble
- about 4 heaped tablespoon blackberry jam
- black fondant for the roses
- Silver lustre dust
- black and purple sprinkles as desired
Instructions
To Make The Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4, grease and line three 15cm/6in round tins (or two 20cm/8inch ones).
- Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water together in a large bowl until it forms a smooth paste, mix in the food colouring then add all of the other ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until it forms a smooth, thickish batter.
- Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make The Chocolate Bark
- Line a baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
- Melt the dark and white chocolates in separate bowls over a pan of gently simmering water, do not allow the water to become too hot and don't get any in the chocolate.
- Mix the powdered food colouring into the white chocolate a little at a time until you reach your desired shade.
- Pour the dark chocolate onto the greaseproof paper and spread it out into an approx 15x25cm/6x10in rectangle, drizzle the white chocolate over the top and drag a toothpick through it to swirl the two colours together.
- Set the chocolate aside until it has set but is still slightly soft then use a very sharp knife to cut it into triangular shards of varying sizes, place in the fridge until hard. Store in an airtight container.
To Make The Blackberry Puree
- Place the blackberries and sugar in a saucepan, bring up to a simmer and cook until the blackberries have broken down and become mushy. Pour into a blender and blitz until it becomes a puree then pass it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.
To Make The Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a spotlessly clean heatproof bowl (the bowl of your stand mixer if you have one) and place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, make sure that the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Gently whisk the eggs (with a hand whisk, not an electric one) until the sugar has dissolved, if you rub the mixture between your fingers it should feel smooth with no hint of graininess. It should measure 60C/140F on a thermometer.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk with an electric mixer/stand mixer on high until the egg whites have formed a stiff, glossy meringue and the mixture is completely cold, the base of the bowl should feel cool to the touch, this will take about 10 minutes.
- Turn the mixer down to low and gradually add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. The mixture may curdle or begin to look soupy, just keep on whisking and it will come back together.
- Once all of the butter has been incorporated and the buttercream is smooth and silky, whisk in the blackberry puree gradually, a spoonful at a time. The mixture shouldn't split, but if it does don't worry! Just place a couple of heaped tablespoons of the buttercream in a small bowl and microwave it until it has melted, then drizzle it back into the rest of the buttercream slowly while whisking on a high speed, after a couple of minutes of whisking it will come back together.
- Finally whisk in the vanilla extract and add the food colouring a little at a time until you reach your desired shade.
Assemble The Cake
- Trim the tops of the cakes if necessary to level them then place one layer on a cake stand or serving platter, spread over a thinish layer of the buttercream. Place a generous dollop of the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large (1.5cm) plain nozzle; pipe a ring of the buttercream just inside the edge of the cake, this forms a dam to stop your jam from leaking out.
- Fill the gap in the middle of the ring with a couple of heaped tablespoons of blackberry jam. Spread a thinish layer of the buttercream over the bottom of one of the other cake layers and place in buttercream side DOWN on top, press down gently. Spread a thinish layer of buttercream on top of the cake, pipe another ring of buttercream around the edge and fill with jam. Spread a thinish layer of buttercream over the TOP side of the remaining cake layer then place it buttercream side DOWN on to the cake so that the top surface of the cake is the base to create a completely flat surface, press down gently.
- Crumb coat the cake by spreading a very thin layer of buttercream over the entire cake, don't worry about being too neat at this point, just make sure that the whole cake is covered. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes until the buttercream has set.
- Spread a thick layer of buttercream over the whole cake, using an offset palette knife or plastic dough scraper to get it really smooth, take your time and fill in all the gaps but don't worry too much about getting it absolutely perfect. Place the cake in the fridge while you make the ganache.
To Make The Blackberry Ganache
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, heat the blackberry puree and milk together in a small pan until boiling then pour over the chocolate and stir until smooth, add the butter and stir until it has melted.
- Add the food colouring a little at a time until it reaches the desired shade. Due to the blackberry puree the ganache is a little thicker than usual and will not set as firm as regular ganache. If you find that it is too thick to pour so that it drips down the sides of the cake, stir in some warm milk a little at a time until it reaches a pourable consistency.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, using a palette knife or the back of a spoon to encourage it to drip over the edge and down the sides.
- Allow the ganache to set a little then place any leftover buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Decorate the top of the cake with the chocolate shards and fondant roses, pipe blobs of the buttercream and sprinkle with edible lustre dust and black and purple sprinkles if you have them.
I am sharing this with Saucy Saturdays Hosted By The Flavour Bender, Take Two Tapas, La Petit Chef and Mid-Life Croissant, Fabulous Foodie Fridays, Fiesta Friday hosted by Cooking With Aunt Juju and I'll Cook You Wash, Foodie FriDIY, Foodie Friends Friday, Friday Favourites, Friday Features and Cake Club
Annie Allen
oh my god your artistic skill has no bounds!! incredible! x
hannahhossack
Lol! thanks Annie 🙂 x
Lucy Parissi
You are an artist. And you should be baking professionally – sure you would get tons of commissions! This looks amazing – a gothic wedding cake perhaps? Or a Monster High one (sorry - got kids that's where my mind went...) Will make sure to pin and share
hannahhossack
Thanks Lucy 🙂 I've already had a couple of friends commission birthday cakes! My little cousin is really into Monster High, she hasn't seen this cake yet but I think shes going to love it! xx
Angela x/ Only crumbs Remain
Wow, that cake is absolutely stunning. And I bet it tastes divine with the blackberries and chocolate! Pinning.
Angela x
hannahhossack
Thanks Angela 🙂 The blackberry ganache is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted! x
vikalinkafood
Incredibly impressive, Hannah!! I love the look of it but what I love even more is the description. It sounds so delicious and KILLS ME that I can't taste! xx
hannahhossack
Thanks Julia! It was seriously delicious! x
sally
Amazing talent bella. The bake off beckons!
hannahhossack
Thanks Ma 🙂 x
kate@katesweekendkitchen
This cake looks fantastic!
hannahhossack
Thank you!
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
Wow, Hannah I think this is your best creation yet & I love the idea of blackberry with chocolate! Pinning too 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Sarah 🙂 blackberry and chocolate together are amazing, the blackberry ganache is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted!
AJ Accardi
You are a serious badass!! This rocks.
hannahhossack
Ha ha! Thank you! 🙂
David @ I Ate The Whole Thing
So beautiful! It's just gorgeous. Love blackberries with chocolate! This is something that you can really throw yourself into--it's so detailed. This is my first time on your blog but I will definitely be checking back in!
One question on this, though: regarding the cocoa powder in the cake; is that Dutch processed or natural cocoa powder? I would guess Dutch because of the self-rising flour but if you can clarify that'd be great!
hannahhossack
Hi David, thanks for stopping by! In the UK we don't differentiate between Dutch Processed and natural cocoa powder and pretty much all cocoa powder sold is Dutch processed so I use it for all of my recipes.
srenker16
Absolutely breathtaking! I love everything about your cake, not only the gorgeous presentation but also the blackberry chocolate combo is just tooooo sinful!
hannahhossack
Thank you! It is truly delicious
Angie
Wowzers!! That's some cake! No, it's a piece of art! How could you even eat that cake? It belongs in a museum! 😀
hannahhossack
Haha! Thanks Angie, I was very reluctant to slice into it....
cookingwithauntjuju.com
Your stunning cake definitely has a "gothic" look to it. 4 tsp. of black gel coloring is a lot - do you find the cake has perhaps an "off taste". I think it was red that gave a funny taste to baked goods. Happy FF #91 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂 It is quite a lot of colouring but I couldn't taste it at all, though that may depend on the brand I suppose, I used sugarflair. It is of course entirely optional to use the colouring and the cake would look just as good (if a little less Halloweeny) without it.
Jhuls
What would my teeth look like when I eat a slice of this cake? 😀 This looks amazingly gorgeous, Hannah. Dark and pretty! 😉
hannahhossack
Haha! Thanks Jhuls 🙂 Strangely enough it didn't colour my mouth at all!
Julie is Hostess At Heart
What a beautiful cake. You are a kitchen architect! I just love those rich blackberry colors.
hannahhossack
Thanks Julie 🙂
KitchenSpells
This is absolutely beautiful! I love the colour of the buttercream, so pretty, and those roses are amazing! I wish my cakes looked this good!
hannahhossack
Thank you! The buttercream is actually a really beautiful colour without the food colouring as well due to the blackberry puree, if I wasn't doing a Halloween cake I wouldn't have used any colouring at all.
Hilda
How you managed to create beautiful and at the same time spooky cake I don't know. The colours, shapes, and it even looks yummy. Well done.
hannahhossack
Thanks Hilda 🙂 As my blog name suggests I have a flair for gothic design!
Edible Reflections
Beautiful cake snd it oooks delicious too!
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂
Dani @ House in Tillford
You have done such an amazing job with decorating the cake- very impressive! And looks pretty tasty too
hannahhossack
Thanks Dani 🙂 It is very tasty!
Rawan
i will definitely poke around this and manage to veganize it! it looks wonderful x
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂 Good luck with the veganizing!
Kaila
Oh my goodness! This cake is simply fabulous! I love that you can prepare bits in advance, so the recipe isn't as intimidating. The cake itself is stunning. I love how even the layers came out, and of course the decorations on top, are perfect for Halloween. Happy FF, and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
hannahhossack
Thanks Kaila, If I'm doing a really long recipe I always try and make sure that bits of it are doable in advance, it all becomes a bit much otherwise!