Decadent Chocolate Pound Cake for Halloween

Chocolate pound cake for Halloween with surprise inside bat shape.

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Decadent Chocolate Pound Cake for Halloween

Unveil the perfect Halloween surprise with this rich and velvety chocolate pound cake.

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 450kcal

Author Lise Sullivan Ode

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cake batter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

For the bat shapes

1 16oz Frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake, thawed

For the chocolate ganache

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

For the cake batter

Butter a 9"x5" loaf pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving the ends to hang long. This way you can lift the baked cake out more easily. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and coffee. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk. In another large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry and sour cream/milk ingredients alternately to the butter/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with dry. Blend only until mixed, don't over beat. Stir in the melted and cooled 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Set aside.

Assembling cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice your pound cake into 3/4” thick slices and use a cookie cutter (that fits inside the middle of the pound cake slice) to cut out your shapes (we used a 2" bat shape). Set aside.
Add a thin layer of cake batter to the bottom of your prepared loaf pan. This will help the bat shaped pound cake slices to stick to the bottom of the pan and not lift up. Layer all the bat shaped cake slices until they are in a uniform line. Carefully pour the remaining batter all over the pound cake slices.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. Add chocolate ganache (recipe follows) and sprinkles, if desired. Slice and serve.

For the chocolate ganache

Place remaining 6 ounces chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream to a simmer and remove from heat. Pour over chocolate and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes. Stir until smooth. Place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up a bit (stirring now and then). Once it's a spreadable consistency, then frost the cake.

Notes

What’s the best way to store leftovers? Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months.

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