The name “Ghost Cake” is just for Halloween, because there isn’t anything scary or spooky about this cake! Just layers of yummy flavors, special for the chocolate lovers. Are you ready? Let’s bake!

First, make the cake itself!

Cake Ingredients:

  • 4 Cups/530grs flour
  • 3 ⅓ Cups/680grs sugar
  • 1 ⅓ Cups/120grs chocolate powder
  • 3 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Cup/240ml vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 Cups/480ml of buttermilk
  • 2 Cups/480ml of hot coffee

Cake Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC and prepare 2 or more 8 inch/20cms cake pans by greasing with butter and passing by flour. (If you have 2 pans, you will divide your batter by 4, this way you will have to bake 2 times, 2 pans at the time, so you have 4 generous layers.)
  • Put all of the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined (that’s me, lol). With the mixer on low, or if you are doing by hand, keep it mixing in a slow motion, add the hot coffee in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin. (Don’t be afraid).
  • Put your batter in the prepared cake pans and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before filling and frosting.

Nuttela Swiss Buttercream (frosting and filling) Ingredients:

  • 400grs of butter
  • 400grs of egg whites
  • 300grs of sugar
  • 200grs of Nuttela

Frosting Method:

  • For this you need a stand mixer or an electric mixer. Add your egg whites and sugar into a bowl. Next put in bain marie, so your egg whites warm up and dissolve the sugar. Keep mixing it slowly. When you know is ready, just rub a bit of the egg white between your fingers, if you don’t feel any lumps from the sugar, it’s ready. 
  • Put the bowl in your mixer, with the wisk attachment, start slow, then speed. Keep mixing for about 5 mins, or a bit more, till your bowl is cooled and you have soft but sturdy picks.
  • Next out your mixer on medium speed and start adding the butter a little at a time. Only add the next bit when the before one is completly gone. At this stage you have Swiss Buttercream, ready to use. 
  • But we want more… So, add all your nutella and let it mix till everything is combined. 

Now it’s time to decorate!

Ghost decorations Ingredients:

  • 200grs of white chocolate or white chocolate melts
  • Black ball sprinkles

Ghost Method:

  • Put your chocolate in a bowl, after you chopped if it’s bar, and melt it in bain marie.
  • While it melts prep a tray with parchement paper. 
  • Next you need 2 tablespoons… 1 to put a dollop in the paper, the other one to smear the chocolate. Add 3 sprinkles, 2 for the eyes and 1 for the mouth. 
  • When you have all your ghosts ready, put in the fridge to harden. 

Assemble:

  • It’s simple to assemble: Stack all your cake layers, fill with the buttercream, and frost all the way around. You can use some fancy cake design equipment or you cake use the “back” of a bread knife.
  • Then grab all your ghosts ad get creative… You can also use some spooky sprinkles, etc. Have fun!

If you have any questions, let me know!

Contributed by Mafalda
Mafalda (aka JustCombined) is our resident Slytherin and a lover of all things food-related. If you put it in front of her, she’ll turn it into something delicious! (Is it magic? Mayyyyybe.) You can find her, , on Twitter and IG, be sure to say hello – Parseltongue greetings accepted!