About
Happy Halloween! Or Happy Halloween season! Or happy candy-loving season (which might just be all the seasons)! Whatever the occasion, a slice of Trick-Or-Treat Cake is sure to have you screaming in delight! Rich, tender, chocolatey cake serves as the perfect platform for a creamy, indulgent peanut butter frosting and a luscious, melt-in-your-mouth ganache: it's like candy in cake form! A few candies on top really help bring out the kid in all of us! Trick-Or-Treat Cake is so magically, festively delicious, you might find reasons to let the Halloween season continue straight into Christmas!
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box devil's food cake mix
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package chocolate pudding mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- For the peanut butter frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
- 7 tablespoons whole milk
- kosher salt, to taste
- For the ganache:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- For the topping:
- 10 peanut butter cup chocolate candies, halved
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chocolate candies
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 -Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
Step 3 -In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the devil's food cake mix, the chocolate pudding, the sour cream, the eggs, and the water together.
Step 4 -Divide the cake batter among the prepared pans.
Step 5 -Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 33-35 minutes.
Step 6 -Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7 -In another large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
Step 8 -Add about 1/2 of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Step 9 -Add the peanut butter and 1/2 of the milk and beat until smooth.
Step 10 -Add the remaining powdered sugar and the salt and beat until smooth.
Step 11 -In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the heavy cream just until it bubbles.
Step 12 -Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.
Step 13 -Pour the warmed heavy cream over the chocolate chips.
Step 14 -Let the heavy cream and chocolate chips sit for 2 minutes.
Step 15 -Whisk the chocolate chips and heavy cream together until smooth with no clumps remaining.
Step 16 -Using a large serrated knife, level the cake layers.
Step 17 -On a cake circle, using a dab of frosting to keep the cake in place, top 1 of the cake layers with 1 cup of the frosting and smooth it into an even layer.
Step 18 -Top the first cake layer with the second cake layer.
Step 19 -Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting, reserving enough for piping.
Step 20 -Drizzle the ganache down the sides of the cake.
Step 21 -Spiral the ganache on top of the cake, smoothing out the top.
Step 22 -Pipe the top edge of the cake with the frosting, creating a ring.
Step 23 -Place the peanut butter cup candies and the peanut butter candies on the frosting ring.
Step 24 -Slice and serve.
