Autumn is in then air and that means if finally time for the fall decoration to grace the tabletops in our home. Bring on the leaves, pumpkins, gourds, and scented candles; as I rejoice in fall and all that means to me. Cooler weather will being about a wardrobe change and I can once again begin baking more often without fear of paying the price of an overly warm kitchen.

When I begin decorating our home for autumn I like to keep in mind the holidays coming within the months ahead therefore, I like to mix and match my decor so I can add a few things now that will be removed when I begin decorating for Halloween and then change it up once again with a mix of Thanksgiving decorations combined with the fall mix and call it good. Saves me time and then several of my holiday decor items can play double or even triple duty.

Adding in different textures and along with trying to keep within a color range that will work for multiple fall holidays helps keep the display interesting and draws the eye toward the display.

Try stacking and lifting up a few items to prevent having all of the displayed decorations being on an even level.

A combination of orange and white gumballs and sixlets candies look perfect for the fall display, yet when I add in black and green gumballs and sixlets to the same candy display dishes they scream BOO, and letting everyone know Trick or Treat season is in the air!

Place a few pieces of holiday candy around the display which will surely draw the eye of little one’s visiting your home.

Hint* the best time to shop for holiday decor is after said holiday, when everything is marked down. I have holiday decorations I’ve had for years and I’m countunily adding to my collection by shopping after the holiday.

I adore chocolate cake however it can be difficult to achieve a balance between the chocolate flavors, moistness, and texture when starting a recipe from scratch. I’ve learned over the years that the combination of coffee and chocolate bring forth a rich chocolate flavor which brings this cake recipe to another level of goodness, and when combined with the dash of cheyenne pepper delivering a followup kick… that will leave your taste buds asking for more. How can you go wrong with a devilishly good double chocolate cake which is topped off with creamy vanilla bean buttercream icing. Trust me on this one the cake will disappear like a ghostly specter in record time.

Devilishly Good Double Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

¾ cup chocolate baking power

2 cups white sugar

1 bar milk chocolate baking bar

½ tsp cheyenne pepper powder

1 cup strong brewed HOT coffee (I used 1 Kailua coffee flavored Keurig pod)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 vanilla bean pod

———-

Preheat oven to 340 degrees.

In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.

Place crumbled milk chocolate in a bowl or extra tall coffee mug. Pour 1 cup of very hot coffee over the chocolate and let set until softened. I place my crumbled chocolate in an oversized coffee mug and then using said mug I create a cuppa coffee with my Keurig thus ensuring my coffee is fresh and HOT.

Add eggs, oil, milk, and the coffee with the melted chocolate stirred together into the dry mix in the mixing bowl. Turn the stand mixer on LOW and mix for 2 minutes, the batter will remain runny which will create a fudge chocolate cake that will make you sigh and reach for a hot cup tea or a cold glass of milk. While the cake batter is mixing along, use butter to coat the inside of 2 round cake pans. Once completed dust with cocoa powder for an added kick and to ensure the outer crusts of the cake layers stay a deep chocolate color and not having a white flour layer which would distract from the appearance as you will be leaving the outer edges of the cake unadorned.

Pour equal amount of chocolate cake batter into each of the 2 prepared cake pans. Place the filled cake pans in the oven to bake at 340 degrees for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the tested cake layers from the oven and place on a cooling rack. The cakes must be cooled COMPLETELY before you begin applying icing. If you plan to wait to decorate the cake until the next day; after the cake cools completely wrap each cake layer separately in plastic wrap and store on a flat surface or place a sheet of parchment paper on the inside of the lid to a very large plastic container (in which a single layer of the cake will fit) then place the inverted bottom of the bowl over the cake like a dome. I prefer this method as I can easily move the cake layers to the cake dish without handling too much and thus running the risk of breaking the cake.

Buttercream Icing Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted BUTTER softened (not melted)

4 cups confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

1 vanilla bean pod

4 + tablespoons coconut milk (or regular milk)

In a large mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer) place the room temperature unsalted butter and whip until smooth. Stop mixer, add the powdered sugar and mix on the LOWEST setting until combined and then whip on med speed until smooth. Stop mixer. Slice the vanilla bean pod down the center and using the blade of a knife scrape the filling of the vanilla bean pod out and place the vanilla bean filling in the mixer with the whipped butter & confectioner’s sugar mixture. Place 2-4 tablespoons of coconut milk in the mixing bowl with the mixture as well. Set the mixer to slow and combine ingredients. If the mixture seems stiff; add in a spoonful of coconut milk at a time until whipped smooth or if the mixture isn’t thick enough you can add in more confectioner’s sugar until your buttercream icing reaches the desired consistently you will need to meet you’re icing needs.

You will need a smooth consistently icing for the paper rose pattern shown in the photographs above and below. I used the largest star shaped icing tip in my 30-piece decorating tips kit which I found on Amazon,* to achieve the paper rose size I wanted.

I placed just over half of the icing into a pastry bag which had been fitted with the coupler and the star shaped icing nozzle. Set the icing filled pastry bag aside for use later.

Using an icing knife dipped in very warm water (which I dipped into the glass each time before I attempted to add more icing to the cake). Dip the cake knife in a warm glass of water then scoop a moderate amount onto the icing knife and gently apply to the top outer edge of the bottom layer of the cake. Continue to dab the icing around the top outer edge of the cake layer, then add a dollop of icing into the center of the lower cake layer as well. Make sure to continue to dip the icing knife into warm water to ensure a smooth and even spread icing layer. Gently spread the layer of icing around the bottom layer of the cake, bringing the icing out to then outer edge and if some happened to trail down then edge that is fine. You will use approximately ¾ of the amount of icing left in then mixing bowl to ice the lower layer of the cake; saving ¼ of the icing in the mixing bowl for a thin layer on the top cake layer. Thin because you will use the icing in the pastry bag which has been set aside to create the paper roses over the thin layer of icing to complete the cake.

Now that the bottom layer has been iced it is time to place the top cake layer upon the bottom layer (place the flat side up) bottom side up onto the iced bottom layer.

Using more of the icing in the mixing bowl you will now use the same method as used for the bottom cake layer with the exception this will be a thin layer of icing, since the roses will be added to the top of the thin layer of the cake icing.

Once a thin layer of buttercream icing has been added to the top cake layer it is time to create the paper roses using the bagged and prepared icing that was set aside earlier.

Starting in the center of the cake, start a circle that continues around the outer edge until you’ve created a paper rose the size desired. Then move on to create another just 1.5 inches away from the first rose, it will end when this rose touches the first rose. Continue thus until the entire top layer of the cake has been covered in buttercream icing roses. If you have a small space around the outer edge between roses you can create tiny roses to fill the spaces.

Dress up the Devilishly Good Double Chocolate Cake with spooky colored Celebration by Frey™ and Sixlets® candies.

Celebration by Frey and Sixlets candies can be purchased at the following retailers around the country such as Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Wegmans, Meijer and many more.

Celebration by Frey and Sixlets products provide a fun, easy, and affordable way to make this Halloween the most memorable one ever. Our daughter throws a big Halloween party each year for our family with isn’t a small affair since we number 20+ at this point. Therefore, decorating with holiday candies can help save time and the children love the added fun not only in the decor displays but the holiday baked treats as well.

As you can see from the photographs below I made an error with one of the roses on the far side of my cake, however, I sliced the first slice to include the misshaped rose and no one was the wiser (our little secret).

Create a Devilishly Good Double Chocolate Cake for your spooky party!