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Graveyard Cake

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    Graveyard cake -- a pumpkin spice cake with bleeding chocolate glaze -- is the pumpkin pie of a spectral Halloween menu. Espresso shortbread headstones mark each slice.
    Halloween 2004, Special Issue
    • Yield Makes one 9-by-13-inch cake
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    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
    • 4 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
    • 4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 2 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
    • Bleeding Chocolate Glaze
    • Espresso Shortbread Headstones
    • 1 tablespoon ground ginger

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Line with parchment paper; butter lining. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Set pan aside.
    2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; alternate between adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Add pumpkin, and beat until completely combined.
    3. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Unmold; peel off parchment. Let cool completely on rack, top side up.
    4. Set cake and rack on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour warm chocolate glaze over cake. Using a small offset spatula, gently smooth glaze over top of cake, letting it drip down sides. Let stand at room temperature, or refrigerate until set. Arrange 6 headstones on top; serve with the remaining.

    Recipe Reviews

    • djtopaz
      16 Oct, 2009

      I like the idea of adding making a red velvet cake for this. Sounds so fun!

    • rockycat
      24 Oct, 2008

      Agreed, fun cake. The pumpking/chocolate taste profile was a little unusual. When I make it next time I am going to try red velvet--to make the ground under the graveyard "bloody." :-)

    • BruSue
      7 Nov, 2007

      Very fun cake - the chocolate writing on the shortbread cookies turned out so well. The directions are very well-explained. The #2 round tip is just right, and the chocolate consitency was very manageable. Definitely a winner - just plan ahead as all the steps together take some time!

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