Spooky Black Velvet Halloween Cake with Blackberry Filling

Introduction

Why serve ordinary desserts at your Halloween party when you can present a show stopping Spooky Black Velvet Halloween Cake with Blackberry Filling? This cake delivers not just a hauntingly beautiful appearance with its deep black layers, but also a lusciously fruity, slightly tart surprise inside. It’s visually dramatic and deliciously sophisticated—a striking centerpiece that’s sure to be the talk of your Halloween spread.

Deliciously Unique Spooky Black Velvet Halloween Cake

Unlike typical chocolate cakes, black velvet cake features rich cocoa flavor while boasting a striking jet black hue, achieved with black cocoa powder and food coloring. The real magic, however, lies in the blackberry filling. The berries lend both a juicy texture and an eerie, jewel toned color, perfectly contrasting the cake’s dark sophistication. Whether you decorate with cobwebs, candy eyes, or shimmery sprinkles, each slice promises a tasty balance of richness and fruit.

Preparing the Blackberry Filling

Crafting a perfect blackberry filling requires gently simmering fresh or frozen blackberries with sugar and a touch of lemon juice, just until they release their juices and reach a jam like consistency. A little cornstarch thickens the mixture, making it sturdy enough to stay between cake layers without oozing out. If you want a spooky blood red drip between the layers, simply puree a portion, then spread and swirl as you assemble.

Assembling Your Spooky Black Velvet Halloween Cake

Once your black velvet cake rounds are fully cooled, slice each layer in half for maximum blackberry impact. Spoon generous helpings of blackberry filling between the layers, allowing the vibrant color to peek out at the edges for maximum effect. For a true Halloween vibe, cover the cake with pitch black buttercream, and add decorations like white chocolate spiderwebs or piped “ghost” meringues.

Serving Suggestions for a Show Stopping Cake

Present your cake on a dark platter and garnish with blackberries, edible glitter, and a scattering of Halloween candies. Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This cake not only dazzles on the dessert table, but offers both a kid friendly look and a grown up flavor profile that everyone will adore.

Nutritional Information and Serving Size

This recipe makes approximately 12 satisfying slices. Each serving contains an estimated 390–420 calories, depending on decorating choices and frosting thickness. It’s a rich, luxurious Halloween treat—so indulge and enjoy!

Deliciously Unique Cake (Recap)

With its showy black layers contrasted by jewel toned blackberry filling, this cake is pure Halloween drama. The blend of intense cocoa, moist crumb, and bright berry creates a dessert with both visual appeal and captivating flavor.

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save this recipe to automatically generate an organized shopping list with all ingredients sorted by store section—perfect for stress free Halloween grocery runs and planning your party prep!

Instructions

1. Make the Blackberry Filling:
   Combine blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until berries burst and release juices (about 5–7 minutes). Stir in cornstarch slurry and simmer 1–2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Bake the Cake:
   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round pans. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing gently; then stir in warm water and plenty of black gel food coloring until batter is smooth and deeply colored.
3. Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake 26–30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes 10 minutes in pans, then turn onto racks to finish cooling.
4. Prepare the Black Buttercream:
   Beat softened butter on high speed until pale. Gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa, beating until fluffy. Add vanilla and enough milk to achieve a spreadable consistency. Beat in black gel food coloring for a jet black hue.
5. Assemble the Cake:
   If desired, level and halve each cake round for extra layers. Place one layer on your platter, spread with blackberry filling. Repeat, stacking layers and spreading filling, finishing with cake on top. Coat entire cake with black buttercream. Decorate with spiderwebs, candy eyes, or blackberry garnish.
6. Chill at least 30 minutes before slicing to set the layers and filling. Serve and enjoy your spooky creation!

Weekly Meal Planning

Planning a festive Halloween week or party? This cake is a perfect make ahead dessert. Save and schedule this recipe so you can automatically combine its ingredients with those from other spooky dishes, making shopping a breeze.

Planning Benefits:

• Automatically calculates ingredient totals for all recipes you plan
• Sorts every item by grocery section for efficient shopping
• Helps reduce food waste by consolidating overlapping ingredients
• Streamlines all your event and weekly meal planning tasks

Pro tip: When planning appetizers, mains, and desserts for an event, schedule your recipes to spot overlapping ingredients—saving both time and money.

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours (includes assembly and chilling time)