We are approaching the last week of October! I always look forward to this month so much and then I feel like it flies by lightning fast. But fear not because after this recipe, I still have one more spooky treat headed your way.
I’ll be honest, I wanted this cake to be my finale for the month. But unfortunately, I had a slight issue in my filming schedule so I wasn’t able to film the recipe I wanted to publish before this one until today. But that just means that you can look forward to another recipe!
I’ve fallen a bit behind schedule, but that’s pretty normal for this time of year. Fall and early winter are my busiest times because my recipes are typically a little more complicated, school is little crazy, and holiday dances take up most of my free time. But despite all of that, this time of year is my favorite and I always pull through and get everything done in time. I have a four day weekend next weekend so hopefully I can cross off a bunch of my to-do’s.
But enough about all of that, let’s talk cake. This is a pretty cool recipe because both the outside and the inside are interesting to look at. Checkerboard is impressive looking, but actually not too complicated, and the decoration on the outside is a perfect place to let your creativity shine.
Describe This Cake to me
Taste: This is a pretty straightforward cake taste-wise, as the main focus is on the decoration. But just because it’s simple doesn’t make it any less delicious! The sweet vanilla cake contrasts perfectly with the rich chocolate cake, and the bittersweet espresso frosting in between really ties the two together.
Texture: The texture for these cakes is actually pretty important for this recipe. They have to be sturdy enough to support the design, but should still be moist and fluffy, and pleasant to eat. The frosting holds everything together but is still creamy and melts in your mouth.
Ease: I’ll be honest, this cake is definitely on the more difficult side. It’s less that any of the steps are particularly difficult, and more that they’re technical and time consuming. Carving and layering the cakes requires patience and a steady hand, as does the decoration. But as long as you’re patient with yourself and take your time, it’s perfectly attainable.
The Checkerboard
For this design, we have to make two different cake batters: a vanilla with orange food coloring, and a rich dark chocolate. The dark chocolate is pretty standard, its the same base I use for most of my chocolate cakes. The vanilla cake however is a little trickier. We use a sponge cake to get the height ratio closer to the chocolate cake. A sponge cake can hold up to carving better than a regular vanilla cake because it has less of a crumb. In terms of shaping, a checkerboard pattern is created when we layer rings of different colored cakes. In order to have a clear and even checkerboard, you want to make sure all of your rings are the exact same sized and using a cookie cutter or cake pan to guide you ensures that.
The Espresso Frosting
When I first tested this recipe, I used a regular vanilla frosting for layering. This ended up being way to sweet, so my second test I went for an espresso buttercream. The bittersweet flavor helps balance the cakes and the vanilla frosting on the outside perfectly. This espresso frosting has four Tablespoons of espresso powder. That’s a lot of espresso powder, but it’s a very big cake so it all balances out perfectly.
Decoration
Now obviously, you don’t have to do the exact same decoration that’s pictured, but it’s really not as difficult as you might think. Before I decorate anything intricate like this on a cake, I add a little outline into the frosting with a toothpick to guide me. This way it’s a little less high stress. The same two piping tips are used for different colors in this pattern, so you’ll want to plan out when/how you’re going to switch the tips before you start. Other than that, the key is to take it slow and keep your hands steady.
The Great Pumpkin Checkerboard Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Grease the bottom and sides, and hen line four 9-inch cake pans with butter and a parchment paper round. Then, grease the parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a microwave safe bowl (I used a liquid measuring cup), add the milk and butter. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until the butter is completely melted. Stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the eggs and sugar together on high speed until pale and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the warm milk/butter mixture, and whisk by hand to combine. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Finally, stir in a couple drops of orange food coloring. You can add as much/ as little as you want depending on how bright you want the orange to be.
- Spread the batter evenly between two of the four previously prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pan and they bounce back when lightly poked. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth and combined. Stir in the buttermilk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until almost combined. Finally, add the coffee and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Once the vanilla cakes have finished baking, increase the oven temperature to 350℉. Divide the batter evenly between the two remaining cake pans. Bake at 350℉ for 23-25 minutes or until the cakes are pulling away from the sides and an inserted toothpick comes out completely clean. Let the baked cakes cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack.
- In a large mixing bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then whip for another 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso powder and hot water. Add this espresso mixture, along with the confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, to the butter and mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Then turn the mixer up to high speed and whip for around 2 mintues. The frosting should be very light and creamy.
- Remove all four cooled cakes from their pans. Using a serrated knife, cut a thin layer off of the tops of the chocolate cakes to create a flat surface. I would recommend you do NOT do this part on the vanilla cakes as they are naturally a little flatter.
- Using a six inch round cookie cutter (I used a six inch cake pan), cut a circle into each cake. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut a circle out of each six inch circle. You should have four 9 inch cake rings, four 6 inch cake rings, and four 3 inch cakes.
- Place an orange 9-inch ring on a cake stand. Put a chocolate 6-inch ring inside of it, and an orange 3-inch cake inside of that. Top with a thin layer of the espresso frosting. Carefully place an chocolate 9-inch ring on top of that. Put an orange 6-inch ring inside of that, and a chocolate 3-inch cake in side of that. Top with a thin layer of frosting. Repeat with the next two layers. Once fully assembled, spread a very thin and smooth layer of the espresso frosting along the bottom and sides of the cake as a crumb coat. If you have any leftover espresso frosting, add some orange food coloring to it and use it to decorate later.
- In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, around 5 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt an dmix on low speed for 30 seconds before turning up to high speed to whip for 2 minutes. Add the black food coloring and whip until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the butter and vegetable shortening on high speed until light and creamy, around 5 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds before turning up to high speed to whip for 2 minutes.
- Add about a little less than ½ cup of the vanilla frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tiny round tip, I used Wilton #4. Set aside.
- Divide the remaining frosting into three parts. Dye one orange, one dark green, and one light green. Add the orange to a piping bag fitted with a slightly larger round tip, I used Wilton #10. Add the the greens to piping bags, both fitted with small round piping tips, like Wilton #4.
- Spread a thin and even layer of the black frosting around the tops and sides of the cakes. Then, add the black food coloring to a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip, like Wilton #4. Using the orange frosting pipe a pumpkin onto the center of the top of the cake. Pipe "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on top of the pumpkin with the black food coloring. Pipe a ghost coming out from behind the pumpkin using the white frosting and add two little black eyes. Add swirls and spirals of green around the pumpkin, using both shades.
- To the sides of the cake, pipe tiny pumpkins and swirls of the greens.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy! Leftover cake lasts up to four days sealed in an airtight container at room temperature.