Spider Cake

4.86 from 7 ratings

Learn how to make this adorable spider cake! My detailed recipe & step by step tutorial share everything you need to nail this design!

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Additional Time1

Total Time1 55

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Calories: 461kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour 1306
1 cup granulated sugar 200g
1/3 cup dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder 30g
1 tsp baking powder 4g
3/4 tsp baking soda 5g
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
1/2 cup hot water 120g
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature 120g
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 55g
1 large egg, room temperature 56g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
1/4 tsp fine salt 2g
3 cups powdered sugar 375g
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 120g
3/4 cups dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled 135g
1/2 cup sifted, dark baking cocoa 40g
squirt of black gel food coloring

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Instructions

Chocolate Cake Layers

Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease two, six-inch domed cake pans with non-stick spray or homemade cake release. Grease two heating cores and place in the center of the pans to help it bake more evenly and quickly. Place the pans on a baking sheet to help you easily move them in and out of the oven and set aside. If you want to use 8-inch domed cake pans, double this recipe and double the frosting recipe.
Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt) into a large bowl.
Pour in the hot water, buttermilk cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla into a separate bowl and whisk together until fully incorporated.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until they're incorporated into the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, making sure you fill the pans no more than 2/3 full. They will rise and can overflow if your pans are too full. Mine were about 1/2 way full. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Bake time can vary quite a bit based on your oven and if you use a heating core, so keep an eye on the cake once it's been in the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove the cake layers from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then flip them into wire racks to finish cooling.
Once cooled, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake layer. Trim off about 1/2 an inch from the domed side of one of the cake layers. This will make it easier to stack the cake layers on your cake board. If make these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
Add in the vanilla extract and salt. Mix on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Half way through, add in the heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix. Place 1/4 cup of the white buttercream in a small piping bag fit with a round piping tip like Wilton 10 or cut a small opening in the bag that's about 1 cm wide. Set aside.
Mix the melted dark chocolate, sifted dark cocoa, and black gel food coloring into the remaining frosting. Mix on a low speed until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure the buttercream is evenly colored.
Place 2 Tbsp of black buttercream and cut a small 1/2 cm opening in the bag. Cover the rest of the frosting with plastic wrap to prevent crusting and set aside.

Assembling this Spider Cake

Start by folding each of the bubble tea straws about 1/2 of the way down the straw and place in a large/ thick book to help them keep their shape. They need a bit of time (20-30 minutes) to allow them to stay bent once they're removed from the book.
Stack and frost the cake layers on a greaseproof cake board. Use the cake layer with the trimmed dome first, sticking it in place with a dab of chocolate buttercream.
Carefully spread an even layer of chocolate buttercream on top of the cake layer with an offset spatula.
Stack the next cake layer on top, then freeze the cake for about 10 minutes in the freezer. This will help the buttercream between the cake layers firm up and make the cake easier to frost.
Cover the cake with an even layer of chocolate buttercream and smooth using an acetate sheet or small offset spatula.
Use the white and black buttercream to pipe two eyes onto the side of the cake.
Place the rest of the black buttercream in a large piping bag fit with a large grass piping tip. Cover the cake with black buttercream to make our spider look fuzzy.
Press 4 bubble tea straws on each side of the cake to look like legs, using tiny strips of clear tape to anchor the base of the straws to the edge of the cake board. Then enjoy!

Video

Notes

My Tips for Making the Best Spider Cake

Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Be sure you set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.

Be sure to properly measure your cake flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy.
Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. Make sure each pan has the same amount of batter will make your cake layers bake to the same heigh and bake more evenly.
Bang your cake pans on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
Level your room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake and before adding the simple syrup. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost them!

Making this Spider Cake in Advance & Storage Tips

Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and make it more approachable.
Make your chocolate frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.
A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in the moisture and keeps the cake fresh and delicious!

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