Graveyard Cake

Fun and simple cake for Halloween!

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa (sifted)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in microwave)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 15" rectangular pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk for 1 minute to blend. Then, add softened butter a few pieces at a time while the mixer is on low speed. Beat approximately 1 minute or until the dry ingredients are crumbly and moistened. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until blended.
• Slowly add approx. 1/2 of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and beat for 1 1/2 minutes at medium speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Then, add the remaining egg mixture, beating for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool the cake for 10 minutes on a rack and then turn out of the pan.

Use chocolate frosting to cover the cake.

• Remove cream from Oreo cookies and smash to make crumble.
• Add cookie crumble to the sides of the cake.

• Mix vanilla icing with green food colouring.
• Use a piping bag and grass decorating tip to pipe on icing.

• Melt dark chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls.
• Add food colouring to the white chocolate to get an orange colour.
• Pour melted chocolates into separate pastry bags.
• Pipe a tree (using dark chocolate) and moon (using white chocolate) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Refrigerate until hard (4-6 minutes).

• Mold Rice Crispy Treats into the shape of a tombstone.
• Add black food colouring to fondant and twist it to make a marble affect.
• Cover tombstone with fondant.
• Use black food colouring and a toothpick to add details.

• Mold Rice Crispy Treats into the shapes of fingers.
• Cover fingers with white fondant.
• Use black food colouring and a toothpick to add details.

• Add chocolate moon and tree to cake (use toothpicks, if necessary).
• Place tombstone and fingers on top of cake.
• Add cookie crumble to middle of cake.
• Add any additional details to the cake.