Description
A visually striking chocolate cake sculpted into a cat shape and covered in a glossy dark chocolate ganache. Perfect for Halloween parties and chocolate lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Candy eyes for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until well combined.
- Stir in the hot water by hand until the batter is smooth.
- Divide batter equally between pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cakes completely and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up for carving.
- Stack cake layers with a thin layer of frosting. Carve a large oval for the body and a smaller circle for the head using a serrated knife.
- Assemble the head onto the body using a wooden skewer for stability.
- Heat heavy cream until simmering, then pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until glossy.
- Pour warm ganache over the cake, smoothing it with a spatula to cover the carving seams.
- Add candy eyes and two small triangles of cake for the ears.