Pilar Valdes' Slasher Cake

This is a tasty red velvet piñata cake recipe that you can dress up for any occasion— and for this  segment we take it on a Halloween stroll. Candied glass shards and edible blood complete our  spooky look.


2 hrs 20 minsPrep Time
1 hr 30 minsCook Time

4 hrsTotal Time

ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 12 tbsp Butter (6 ounces), at room temperature
  • 2 ¼ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs, room tempertature
  • 3 ½ tbsp Red Food Coloring of choice
  • 5 tbsp Dutch processed Cocoa Powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 ½ Buttermilk or plain Yogurt
  • 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ baking soda
  • 3 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Strawberry or Raspberry Jam
  • 2-3 cups Halloween Candy and sprinkles

For the Frosting:

  • 12 tbsp Butter (6 ounces), at room temperature
  • 16 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups Confectioners' Sugar, Sifted
  • 2 tsp Heavy Cream or Milk

For the Shattered Glass:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2/3 cup light corn syrup

For the Edible blood:

  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp red gel food coloring
  • 1 tsp chocolate syrup

prep

Make the Cake:




  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (3) 8” x 2” cake pans and line the bottoms with  parchment paper. 

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar. Beat  in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add food  coloring, cocoa powder and vinegar and continue to beat at medium speed until incorporated. 

  • In a medium bowl, sift together the remaining dry cake ingredients. Working in increments and  starting with the dry ingredients, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk to the  batter, making sure the batter is fully combined and smooth after each addition (you should  finish with the dry ingredients). 

  • Divide the batter among the three pans and smooth the tops with a moistened spatula. Bake for  25 minutes until the cake begins to pull away from the sides, is firm to touch and a tester comes  out clean. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, and then turn out on cooling racks to cool completely. 



 



Make the Frosting:




  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine butter and cream cheese.  Beat together until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the remaining  ingredients, except the heavy cream, and beat on medium high until light, fluffy and smooth.  Thin out with the heavy cream, 1 teaspoon at a time. 

     



Frost the Cake:




  • Using a cake board and a cake stand makes for easier and cleaner assembly. Using a 2” or 3”  biscuit cutter, cut circles in the center of 2 of the cake layers, making sure the holes on each cline  up completely. (Set aside the cut circles for Mr. Ball recipe.)

  • Dab a small amount of frosting in the center of your cake stand and lay the cake board on top.  This prevents slipping and sliding. Place one of the cut cakes, right side up, on the cake board.  Pipe a ring of frosting on the outer and inner rim of the cake and fill the insides with half of the  jam and spread evenly. Invert the second cut cake and place it on top of your base layer, so that  the top of the cake is directly on the jam layer. (Inverting the cake creates an even, flat layer to  work from.) Fill the center hole with your favorite Halloween Candy. Repeat the icing process  with the second layer of cake (icing boarder and fill with the remaining jam). Invert the last  (uncut) cake layer and place it on top. Using an offset spatula and a bench scraper, apply a very  thin layer of the frosting all over your cake (it is OK if you see a bit of the cake still peeking through)—this is the crumb layer, and will keep things nice and smooth for the final frosting  layer. Chill the cake for 30 minutes before proceeding with the final frosting. Using an offset  spatula, apply the final layer of frosting on all sides and on top of the cake. Return to the  refrigerator until ready to decorate. (At this point you have a delicious, piñata red velvet cake!  Read on to make it Halloween-themed!) 



 



Make the shattered glass:




  • Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray. 

  • In a medium saucepan combine all the ingredients for the shattered glass. Set pan over medium  heat and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. As soon as sugar is completely dissolved, stop  stirring and attach a candy thermometer to the pot. Increase the heat and bring mixture to a  boil. Continue to cook until mixture reaches 290-295F just before it turns amber. 

  • Immediately (and very carefully) pour into the prepared pan and set aside. Allow to cool until  fully hardened, at least 1 hour. Invert the pan onto a chopping board and using a mallet or clean  hammer, hit the back of the sheet pan to break the candy into shards. 

     



Make the edible blood:




  • In a medium bowl, add corn syrup. In a separate small bowl, add cornstarch and water and mix  together until smooth. Add the cornstarch slurry to the corn syrup along with the food coloring  and chocolate syrup. Stir until smooth. Store in a squeeze bottle or a small bowl until ready to  use.

     



To Assemble the Slasher Cake:




  • Place the candy shattered glass on top of the cake; varying the height and depths and angles will  create a more realistic effect. Pool the edible blood at the base of the shattered glass. Use clean  paint brushes dipped in the edible blood for a splatter effect. 

     



(Make sure to remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.)