When I asked on Instagram which dessert should be this year’s Halloween recipe, most of you voted for Black Magic Cake, so that is exactly what I’ve created here!
A Black Magic Cake has been on my list to bake for quite some time, so I thought it would be the perfect dessert to transform into a spooky Halloween entremet for the 15th episode of my baking series From Classic to Iconic.
The classic Black Magic Cake is known for its incredibly moist texture, deep chocolate flavor and rich chocolate frosting. I wanted to stay true to these characteristics while introducing more flavors and textures to create a modern, reimagined version.
The star of this entremet is, of course, the Black Magic Cake itself, which I’ve made with an intense cocoa flavor and a subtle bitterness from coffee. To add more textures and elevate the classic, I’ve added a crunchy dark chocolate, almond and cocoa praliné, a velvety dark chocolate ganache inspired by the classic chocolate frosting, and a smooth black caramel whipped ganache to balance the rich chocolate flavors.
For the design, I wanted to create something that really captured the Halloween theme, so I chose a black and white spiderweb mirror glaze, and a chocolate spiderweb.
This cake is rich, intense, yet perfectly balanced, and it’s a lot of fun to make!
Happy baking <3
For extra support while baking, watch my step-by-step video tutorial showing you how to make the cake from start to finish:
NOTE: Prepare the black caramel whipped ganache first, as it needs to set for a minimum of 6 hours. While it sets, you can prepare the remaining layers.
Day 1
Black Caramel Whipped Ganache:
- 1 gelatin sheet (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
- 230 g caster sugar
- 195 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
- 90 g butter (room temperature)
- a small 0.5 tsp sea salt
- black food coloring paste (optional)
- Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5–10 minutes, then set aside.
- Heat the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan with a clean tea towel to keep the cream warm while caramelizing the sugar.
