Spooky Black Cacao Skull Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup TheOrganicLabs black cacao powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

For the Black Cocoa Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup TheOrganicLabs black cacao powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy cream (adjust for consistency)
• Black gel food coloring (optional, for a deeper black)

Decoration:

• Black gel food coloring (optional for accents)
• Black sprinkles or edible glitter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a skull-shaped cake pan or a standard 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, black cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Add Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Mix on medium speed until well combined.

4. Add Boiling Water: Carefully add the boiling water to the batter. The batter will be thin, but this is expected. Mix until smooth.

5. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Prepare the Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and black cacao powder, beating until combined. Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat until the frosting is fluffy and smooth. Adjust the consistency with more cream if necessary. For a deeper black, add black gel food coloring.

8. Frost the Cake: Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cooled cake for a crumb coat. Let it set in the fridge for 15 minutes. Then, frost the entire cake, smoothing the surface to get the skull-like appearance.

9. Decorate: Use a small piping bag filled with extra frosting or black gel food coloring to accentuate the eyes, nose, and mouth details of the skull. Add any additional decorations like black sprinkles or edible glitter if desired.

10. Serve and Enjoy: Slice and enjoy your rich, spooky black cacao skull cake!

Feel free to adjust the amount of black cacao powder or add more gel coloring if you want a darker finish. Enjoy your eerie yet delicious creation.