Dark and rich, this Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream is the perfect centerpiece for your Halloween party. Chocolate lovers will instantly fall in love with this dark chocolate cake!
There is just something about a layered cake that always impresses! Looking for more? Check out this Pistachio Pudding Cake or this perfect Carrot Cake.
I’m not very good at the whole holiday thing.
I think I didn’t realize my shortcomings until Pinterest came around. Don’t get me wrong. I love Pinterest. I think it has definitely helped me in many ways, and I’m constantly inspired when I spend time browsing everyone’s pins. But it also makes me realize just how bad I am at holidays.
I’ve tried before. Spiders and ghosts and monster brains – oh, my! But it’s just not my strong point. While others have been brainstorming and posting cute Halloween ideas for parties and gifts for the past month, I’ve been stuck on comfort foods and soups.
At the beginning of October, I decided that I was ok with it. I didn’t need any recipes specifically made for Halloween. I’d let the creative people take care of that.
But then I decided I was up for the challenge.
Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream
As I was trying to decide what to make, I came across a container of dark cocoa powder in my cupboard, and I instantly knew what I wanted to make. The ultimate chocolate cake. Deep and dark and perfect for Halloween.
The beauty of this cake, though, is that it doesn’t have to be just for Halloween. The cake is a very rich, dark chocolate cake that will leave chocoholics with a smile on their face. I didn’t want to do a straight up chocolate frosting, and I decided that a Nutella buttercream would be perfect with the dark chocolate.
The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Now, this isn’t your typical chocolate layer cake. This cake is the most moist chocolate cake you will ever have. Not even kidding. I originally was going to just make a 2 layer cake, but for some reason, it just didn’t feel right. This cake was screaming to be made into a full 4 layer cake. It’s totally over the top and rich and decadent, and a little slice goes a long way, but it’s all totally worth it. And totally holiday worthy.
Because of the nature of this cake recipe, don’t be alarmed if the cakes fall a little bit in the middle, because they probably will. This isn’t a light and fluffy cake, but an extremely moist cake. But don’t fret – you’ll level off the cakes and you can use the scraps to decorate the outside of the cake. Since I’m such a horrible cake decorator, I love having tricks like this up my sleeve because then no one can tell that you didn’t frost the cake perfectly!
Perfect Halloween Cakes
This is the perfect cake for Halloween because it is so deep and dark. I originally bought the eyes to put on my spiders, but they were just too big and didn’t look right, and at the last minute, I decided to put them randomly over the outside of the cake. And I think that ended up being my favorite part! Most grocery stores sell the little eyes these days, and they are an easy way to decorate when you are decorating challenged.
Now I’m ready for Halloween!
More Can’t Miss Chocolate Dessert Recipes:
Almond Joy Candy Bar Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake
Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
Italian Chocolate-Almond Flourless Cake
Double Chocolate Bundt Cake
Chocolate Pound Cake
Tools Used to Make this Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe
- This cake is 4 layers, so you’ll need 4 cake pans. These cake pans come in a 2 pack and are fairly inexpensive.
- You should be able to find the candy eyes at your local store, but you can also order them online as well.
- I always think cakes are easiest to decorate using an offset spatula.
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Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups dark cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter melted
- 2 cups milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
Nutella Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup Nutella
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
Chocolate Spiders (optional)
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Arrange an oven rack in the reheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray 4 9-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, then lightly spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a mixer, mix together the sugar and the butter. Add in the milk, eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour in the boiling water and gently mix until combined. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 4 pans. Bake in until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. (Don’t be alarmed if your cakes puff up and then fall in the center. They will probably fall a little, but you will even the cakes out and can use the scraps to decorate the cake.)
- Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside of the pan and turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.
- At this point, you can wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate them or freeze them, which will make decorating the cake easier, or you can proceed to assembling the cake as long as they are cooled completely.
- To make the buttercream, cream the butter in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the Nutella, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Add as much cream as needed to make the frosting a spreading consistency, adding a teaspoon at a time. If making the spiders and the spiderweb, transfer 1/2 cup of the frosting to another bowl and mix in the 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
- To make the spider legs, place some chocolate chips in a ziplock bag. Microwave on 50% power in 15 second increments until the chocolate chips have melted. Cut a small corner off the bag, and pipe out legs in the shape of a 7 onto a piece of waxed paper on a baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer until you are ready to decorate the cake.
- To assemble the cake: Level each of the cake layers, reserving the scraps. Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with some of the buttercream and spread in an even layer to the edged. Top with another cake layer, then more buttercream. Repeat with another cake layer, more buttercream, and then the final cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the outside of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10-15 minutes.
- While the cake is in the refrigerator, take the reserved scraps of cake and crumble them as best as you can. The cake is very moist, so if the scraps aren’t crumbling, you can put them on a baking sheet and place them in a 250ºF oven to dry them out a bit, which will help.
- Use the remainder of the frosting to go over the cake, making sure it is covered evenly.
- Take the reserved 1/2 cup of frosting and place it in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Starting in the center of the cake, make a spiral for the spider web. Using a toothpick, starting at the center, gently pull out through the frosting to pull the lines of the darker buttercream, forming the spider web. With the remaining buttercream, pipe out the heads and bodies of the spiders. (Make sure you don’t make more spiders than you have legs, though.) Remove the chocolate legs from the freezer and place 8 legs on each spider.
- Take the cake crumbs and gently press them into the outside of the cake.
Najla says
How would I alter this recipe if I were to use self-raising flour? Thanks!
ae says
what was the brand of dark cocoa powder did you actually use?
Deborah says
I used the Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder.
Olivia says
Can I substitute regular butter for challenge butter?
Deborah says
Yep!
Nadia says
I can’t wait to try out this recipe for the Halloween celebrations this weekend!
I’m kind of new to baking and I have a question:
In the Nutella Buttercream recipe section, what kind of cream do we use? Heavy whipping cream? Or regular whipping cream?
Thank you!
Deborah says
I used heavy whipping cream, but regular whipping cream should work as well.
Stefanie says
Would this work as cupcakes?
Deborah says
I haven’t tried it as cupcakes, so I’m not sure. The cake is heavier and denser than a normal cake, so I’m not sure how well it would translate over to cupcakes. But do let me know if you try!
Kris Garst says
I made the recipe as cupcakes for a bake sale last week, and they were a hit! I baked for 15-18 minutes, until they spring back when lightly touched. It made 4 dozen cupcakes plus a little bit extra that I made three mini cakes with.
Deborah says
I’m so glad!! And I’m so glad to hear that they work as cupcakes. Thanks!
Melinda says
Made this for a family gathering. It was perfect just as written. So decadent, everyone loved it. For an “ordinary” day I would half the recipe. But for an occasion this veritable tower of chocolate was perfect.
Linda says
I made the cake, precisely as directed. It did not rise and fall at all. I only baked mine for 20 minutes as I could tell it did not fill the 9 inch pans very much and would not take the full 30-35 min. I wish I had baked it just a little less…I think that slightly undercooked is where you get the slight “fall” and thus very moist cake. So I’d recommend keeping a close eye after about 18 min and check to see if it’s ready to come out. Mine is thoroughly cooked and not at all extra moist as shown in pictures above. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I had baked it as directed. I am sure that it has something to do with climate and oven temp variations. I am in a very dry climate and everything takes a shorter time to bake in my oven than directed. Hope that is helpful to some who attempt to make this.
Ryan says
so im a poor college student and dont have 4 9 inch pans hanging around. is it possible to do it in a tradiational 9×13? (pardon the possible blasphemy) or is the cake to dense and wont rise properly?
Deborah says
Hmmm, I’m not sure how well it would work in a 9×13. I am pretty sure that the 9×13 wouldn’t be big enough for the whole cake – you might have to halve the recipe. It is a pretty heavy cake, so it might have a hard time even if you did cut it in half. Sorry!!
Taylor says
Hi! I would LOVE to make your recipe for my sister’s birthday, but she doesn’t like dark chocolate. If I were to make the cake with cocoa powder instead of dark cocoa powder, would it still taste great? Or ruin the taste? Please let me know 🙂
Deborah says
I haven’t tried the substitution, so I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing that regular unsweetened cocoa powder would work just fine. 🙂
Sondra Costa says
Made this for Christmas Eve and it was a hit! Turned out perfectly! I did cut down on the sugar for the frosting though to reduce the amount of sweetness since my family tends to always complain about frosting being to sweet (weird I know). I made the full 4 layers but I made a 3 layer cake and pulled out one of the layers early so that my father and I could chow down on a half baked cake since we love when it’s not fully cooked.
I didn’t even have to level off the cakes…somehow they came out flat which saved me some time!
Overall it was a complete hit and my family loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Deborah says
I’m so glad it was loved!! And I’m loving the idea to just eat the 4th layer straight from the oven. I’m totally doing that next time!!
Dana says
This is now my favorite chocolate cake! I’ve been looking for a long time for the perfect moist chocolate cake and here it is.
I substituted coffee for the water and sour cream for the milk. Then decreased the baking powder by 2 tsp and increased the baking soda by 2 tsp to get the correct balance and it turned out amazing. Slightly thinker batter but it baked around the same amount of time, perhaps slightly longer but no much.
Thank you for the recipe this is going to be a family favorite for years to come. 🙂
Sondra Costa says
Do you not line the sides of the cake pan with parchment paper?? Just the bottom?
I’m planning on making this for our Christmas dinner!
Deborah says
I just line the bottoms. Just make sure when you initially spray the pans with nonstick cooking spray to spray the sides as well as the bottom.
Heather says
Made this last night. I didn’t have enough batter for 4 layers. I used 8 inch pans and I got 3 layers that were about 2 inches tall when done and had maybe a cup of batter left. If I had made another layer with that then it would have been very small. My layers didn’t fall in the middle at al so I guess that is good but I have never had as much trouble getting cake out of a pan as I did with this recipe. I thought maybe it was because I used spray to prep the pans so the last layer I used shortening and flour and still had trouble. The layers seemed moist when taking out of the pan but once assembled and a piece was cut it was very dry. And I had to double the buttercream because I did not have enough to do in between all layers plus top and sides. The taste was fine. Very sweet. Will try again at some point with some tweeking to see if I get different results. Also it is helpful when people actually comment on the recipe that have made it to let people know if they had problems or if they had to do things different. Tons of comments about how good it looks and they can’t wait to make it are fine, but it doesn’t help anyone. I base on whether I want to try a new recipe a lot of times on the reviews. So far the recipes I have tried where no one gives an actual review, are ones that don’t turn out. I guess from now on I will save them and check periodically for someone to review it to decide whether to try it.
Deborah says
Hi Heather,
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out perfectly for you. I’ve made this cake a few times now, and it has always been really moist. I’m wondering if it’s because I did thinner layers in 9-inch pans? My finished layers were probably only an inch to *maybe* an inch and a half tall. And with this cake, I have only tried it with putting a layer of parchment paper in the pan as specified in the instructions. I can see how they cakes would be hard to get out otherwise.
I hope you are able to tweak it to your liking! 🙂
Fredda says
can I make this a 3 layer cake in 9″ pans??? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say yes!
Deborah says
Hi Fredda – I haven’t tried doing 3 layers – only 4, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. I’m guessing that it would be fine and that your layers would just be taller, but since I haven’t tested, I’m not positive!
Beverly Griffin says
On making the buttercream you say add cream is that the butter challenge, or heavy cream ?
Deborah says
Beverly, you’ll beat the butter in the first step for making the buttercream. The cream that you are adding is to thin out the frosting a little bit – you’ll just use as much as you need.
Inga says
This looks insane! That frosting, OH MY! Do you think this could be made into cupcakes instead of the 4 layer cake? I don’t mind the layers, I think they are lovely, but my sis who is more a novice baker would do better with cupcakes and I think she needs to bake these for a bake sale. What do you think?
Deborah says
Hi Inga, I haven’t tried the recipe as cupcakes, and honestly – I’m not sure how well it would convert over. The cake is more dense and moist than most cake recipes, and it does rise and fall a bit as a cake. I’m just afraid the cupcakes would fall too much. You can definitely try, but I might suggest trying a different chocolate cake recipe and this nutella frosting. (This recipe is one of my favorites for cupcakes and has had great feedback – https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/eggless-chocolate-cupcakes/)