Love at First Bite 🧛‍♀️

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I always get a little sad when I finish my final Baketober recipe. I firmly believe October needs to be longer, or maybe we need to get a second Halloween in like, February or something because spooky bakes are just the best…after all, demons are a ghoul’s best friend. I have been dying to make a chocolate and blackberry cake, and I figured such a dark and scary recipe was the perfect way to cap off Halloween baking. I may not get a second Halloween, but with a little witchful thinking, I did manage to make a cake so delicious that it will haunt me until next year.

Fudgy chocolate cake with tart blackberry compote between every layer that’s covered in black cocoa cream cheese frosting–this is a cake that is so decadent even the devil himself couldn’t come up with something more enticing. You would think you might have to exorcise to earn a slice, but keep your demons at bay–each slice is only 300 calories (10 slices total). Definitely used some witchy magic to make that happen, but if the broom fits… This might be my new favorite flavor combo (watch out peanut butter and chocolate, you’ve got competition). Rich chocolate with a tart blackberry zing is just so perfect. It’s the kind of cake with a flavor so dreamy that it makes plain chocolate cake look like a total ghoul.

After over a year of searching for a Whole Foods GF cake mix replacement, I finally found it. I should’ve known…Krusteaz makes the best waffle mix (prior to my need to be gluten free, this was the only waffle mix I let near my pantry; RIP youthful stomach), so it stands to reason they know what they’re doing with a cake mix, too. Definitely going to try their yellow GF cake mix ASAP. It bakes easily with the adaptations I want to lower sugar and fats in my baked goods, and it doesn’t get stale approximately 10 minutes after you pull it out of the oven like 90% of other GF cake mixes. To make, you’ll need:

• 1 box of Krusteaz gluten free chocolate cake mix
• 173 grams (3/4 c) unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c fat free or skim milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and bake even strips. Mix all the ingredients together in a stand mixer on medium-high for two minutes. Evenly distribute batter between the three pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs from the center of the cakes. Let these rest in the pan for 10 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to completely cool before frosting.

While your cakes cool, you can make the blackberry compote. Dump 3 cups (360 g) of blackberries into a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup (100 g) of Lakanto classic monkfruit sweetener or regular sugar. Heat on medium-high and stir to help the berries release their juices. Once the juices are released, add a tablespoon of cornstarch and stir frequently for 10 minutes. Things will get nice and thick; I also used a potato masher to break up any larger pieces. Move your saucepan to the fridge to cool and allow the compote to thicken while you make your frosting.

I made two batches of frosting, one in purple, and the other dyed black. I honestly didn’t use much black frosting, but I was completely out and love to have some leftover on hand in my freezer because it’s usually something I need sparingly for eyes, noses, small details, etc. on bakes, so it’s a pain to have to dye a tiny bit of frosting black. You could probably get away with one batch of frosting since the middle of the cake is filled with compote and little frosting, but here is what I used:

• 2 cups (452 g) of Greek yogurt, strained overnight; divided
• 16 ounces 1/3 the fat cream cheese at room temp, divided
• 7 cups of Lakanto powdered monkfruit, divided
• 2 TBS vanilla, divided
• 3 TBS fat free milk, divided
• 1 ounce of black cocoa
• Purple and black gel dyes

Mix half the yogurt and half the cream cheese on medium high for two minutes. Add in 3.5 cups of powdered Lakanto, 1 TBS vanilla, and 1 TBS of milk, blending on low until things come together, then turn to high. Scrape the bowl and add purple gel dye, mixing until you get your desired color. Dump all this frosting into a separate bowl, then mix remaining yogurt and cream cheese on medium high for two minutes. Add in the rest of the powdered monkfruit, vanilla, 2 TBS milk, and 2 TBS black cocoa. Mix well and add in a little black gel dye if needed. Now, you’re ready to assemble!

Place some purple frosting into a piping bag and draw a circle around the edge of a cake round; this acts as a dam to keep your bloody compote in place. Spoon compote in the middle and top with another cake round. Repeat this process one more time; you probably will have about 1/2 of the compote leftover; use this to top toast, oats, waffles, or just eat it with a spoon straight out of the bowl because it is insanely yummy. I also recommend using a few dowels in the cake to keep things sturdy since the compote is heavy. I forgot to do this, and my cake toppled over on day 4 (sigh..still gonna eat it though.).

Frost the entire cake in purple frosting, smoothing as best as you can. I placed my cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm, then removed and used my Viva paper towels to smooth out any bumps. Just gently apply the paper towel to the top and side of the cake and use your hand to smooth up and down, side to side, do the hokey pokey, turn yourself about. Works like a charm.

You’ll need to cut several strips of Parchment paper for your vertical stripe guide. I cut eight strips, each one inch wide and about 8 inches long, so they would be easy to remove later. Evenly apply these strips around your cake, using a food-safe paintbrush to gently press the paper into the cake and prevent any black frosting from getting under it. Now, freeze your cake for 30 minutes. You need the purple to stay in place as well, so this will help.

With gentle pressure, I used an angled spatula to apply black frosting on all the non-Parchment surfaces on the side of my cake. Once covered, I used my bench scraper to make a few passes around the cake and smooth out the black frosting. I placed this back in the freezer to allow the black frosting to set before removing the Parchment strips.

You should very easily be able to peel away the Parchment paper strips after this to reveal a beautifully spooky-striped cake. Black and white would 100% give Beetlejuice vibes, so keeping that in mind for next year. I then took more black frosting, putting it into a piping bag with a 1M tip, and created swirls on the top of the cake.

To finish, I added a blackberry border around the bottom of the cake, and then added blackberries at the top edge between every swirl.

I am really happy with how these vertical stripes turned out; it’s always nerve wracking trying something new, especially when it’s holiday-specific and can’t just be tried again the next weekend. I think I had Halloween luck on my side with this one! I am goblin up every bite of this cake because it is just so dang delish. Even if you don’t want to make a fancy, striped cake, just try the recipe. Blackberry and chocolate are absolutely divine together…a wicked good flavor for sure. Plus, the blackberry compote has an oozing guts look about it when you cut into a slice, so it’s spooky even without the vertical stripes (a.k.a, a perfect recipe). As Baketober draws to a close, I’d just like to say fangs for the memories. ‘Til next time, my fellow eaters!

Recipe and Instructions