Description
A spooky Halloween Red Velvet Cake with a rich cocoa flavor, tangy cream cheese frosting, and dramatic red drip effects, perfect for any Halloween party.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp red food coloring (gel)
- 2 batches cream cheese frosting
- Red candy melts for “blood” drips (optional)
- Edible eyeballs or black sprinkles (optional)
- Halloween cupcake toppers (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour in the buttermilk, white vinegar, and red food coloring. Stir until smooth and vibrantly red.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes before inverting them onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Once cooled, level the cake rounds using a serrated knife.
- Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting over it. Top with the second cake layer.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
- For the blood drips, melt red candy melts or mix corn syrup with red gel coloring. Drizzle the mixture over the edges of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
- Decorate with edible eyeballs, black sprinkles, or Halloween cupcake toppers as desired for your Halloween Red Velvet Cake.
Notes
- For the most intense red color without altering the cake’s texture, use gel food coloring.
- Chill your cake layers before frosting to achieve cleaner lines and easier handling.
- Add candy eyes or festive Halloween toppers to enhance the spooky appearance of your Halloween Red Velvet Cake.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 90mg