Zombie Brain Cake: Halloween Dessert

Ingredients

For the Dark Chocolate Cake:
• 1/2 cup + 6 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp ground coffee or espresso powder
• 1/2 cup hot water
For the Frosting:
• 2 cups butter, room temperature
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or other desired flavor)
• Light pink food coloring
• Red gel icing

Instructions

For the Dark Chocolate Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray half of a spherical baking pan with cooking spray. Set on the accompanying silicone ring on top of a flat baking sheet to stabilize the pan.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
3. Whisk together the milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until smooth.
4. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat with a whisk attachment of your mixer until well combined. Scrape the bowl as needed in between.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together boiling water and ground coffee. Slowly add the hot coffee mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until batter is smooth (it will be thin).
6. Pour the batter into the prepared spherical pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out free of liquid batter.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan(s).
For the Frosting and Assembly:
8. Beat the butter with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
9. Add the powdered sugar in batches, scraping the bowl frequently.
10. Once you've reached your desired sweetness, add the vanilla and food coloring.
11. Mix the food coloring until you reach a very pale pink color.
12. Carefully remove the completely cooled cake from the pan and level the flat bottom. Place flat side down on a cake stand or plate.
13. Cover the entire cake with a coat of pink frosting.
14. Move the rest of the frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
15. Start by piping a straight line down the approximate middle, allowing the frosting to create thick lines, then continue down the side with a wave pattern to resemble a brain.
16. Repeat this pattern on the opposite side so that the brain looks somewhat symmetrical. All of the cake should be covered with thick frosting.
17. Finish the cake with "blood" from pre-made bright red icing and stick a knife in the top for a more spooky look.

Notes