Vampire Bat Cake

Directions

Cake Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt with a fork until thoroughly combined.

3. Make three wells in the dry mixture. Pour the oil into one, the vinegar into another and the vanilla into the third.

4. Pour the cold water over all and carefully mix with the fork until thoroughly combined, being extra careful to mix at the bottom and around the edges.

5. When the batter is mixed but before you put it in the oven, scoop enough batter into a custard cup to fill it about half way. (I used somewhere between 1/3 and ½ cup of batter to fill the custard cup I used.)

6. Place both the 8 inch round pan and the custard cup filled with batter in the oven on the center rack. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. The cupcake will take approximately 20 minutes while the 8-inch cake will take approximately 35 minutes.

7. Meanwhile prepare a cake board. Cut a sturdy piece of cardboard to approximately a 16.5 x 8 inch rectangle. Tear a strip of foil longer than the cardboard. Cover the cardboard with the foil turning the edges onto the back and taping them in place.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.

9. When the cake is cool cut the 8 inch round cake in half. Position the two halves side by side with the rounded edges together at their ends to form the bats wingspan. The cupcake will sit on top of the cake where the wings come together to form the bat’s head.

10. After 35 minutes run a knife between the outer edge of the cake and the pan. Turn the pan upside down on a serving plate and tap on the bottom of the pan to remove the cake. (This can take a bit of effort but with patience it does come out intact with some yummy chocolate crumbs stuck to the bottom of the pan for tasting.) Let the cake rest until it has cooled completely.

11. Ice the cake with Mexican Hot Chocolate Frosting.

Frosting Instructions:

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla and mix well.

3. Add the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Continue mixing until the frosting is fluffy and spreadable.

4. Remove 1 ½ cups of frosting and tint it orange, if desired.

5. In a medium bowl combine the chile powder, cinnamon, espresso powder, salt, vanilla and cocoa powder. Add this mixture to the remaining frosting and continue mixing until incorporated. Add a little milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed, until the frosting is a consistency suitable for piping.

6. Use the orange frosting (or white or whatever color you choose) to frost the sides of the bat cake and at least the lower half, along the straight edge, of the wings.

7. Mark the scallops in the bat's wings by using a 3 - 3.5 inch diameter drinking glass or teacup turned upside down and gently pressed into the icing evenly along the straight edge of the bat’s wings.

8. Fit a decorating bag with a round tip, I used a #6, and fill the bag with the chocolate frosting. Pipe an outline over the scalloped markings and around the rounded side of the wings to outline the edges.

9. Use the same tip to pipe a dotted border at the bottom edge of the cake, if desired.

10. Change to a star tip, with a size #17 or larger opening, and fill in the area of the wings.

11. Position the Bat’s Head cupcake on top of the cake, where the wings come together.

12. With a separate pastry bag filled with a small amount of orange or white frosting and fitted with a round tip (or Ziploc baggie filled with a few tablespoons of frosting and with the lower ¼ inch of the corner trimmed away) pipe ears and fangs as in the picture.

13. For eyes, place orange M&Ms or Reeses’ Pieces on the bat’s head and dot with chocolate icing for pupils.

Photo and recipe courtesy of myownsweetthyme.com. For step-by-step instructions, click here.