Spooky Chocolate Dot Cake
A rich and incredibly moist homemade chocolate sheet cake topped with thick, creamy chocolate fudge frosting and colorful Halloween nonpareils. Inspired by the viral Dot Cake trend, this easy Halloween dessert is perfect for parties, celebrations, and chocolate lovers!
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup salted butter melted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey's Special Dark, but natural cocoa powder works too)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup hot coffee or you can use hot water
For the frosting:
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 6 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate melted, room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey's Special Dark, but natural cocoa powder works too)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream or milk room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- nonpareils
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Add the eggs, melted butter, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
- Slowly pour in the hot coffee or hot water, mixing until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin, and that's exactly how it should be! Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 28–32 minutes, or until completely baked through. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room-temperature butter until smooth and creamy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the melted, slightly cooled semi-sweet chocolate and mix until combined.
- Add the cocoa powder and mix until fully incorporated. Add half of the powdered sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, the vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat for 1–2 minutes until the frosting is smooth, fudgy, and spreadable. Add additional heavy cream as needed to reach your desired frosting consistency
To decorate:
- Once the chocolate sheet cake has cooled completely, spread the chocolate fudge frosting evenly over the top using an offset spatula. I suggest leaving the cake in the pan so the sprinkles doing go everywhere!
- Immediately sprinkle the Halloween nonpareils evenly over the frosting, using as many as you'd like for your desired dotted appearance. Gently press the nonpareils into the frosting if needed to help them adhere. Slice into squares, serve, and enjoy!