Bloody Glass Shard Red Velvet Cake

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This post and recipe was created for #HalloweenTreatsWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

Decadent red velvet cake layered with fluffy buttercream frosting then topped off with a bloody drizzle and candy glass shards are sure to be a hit at any Halloween event!

I haven’t made a cake in several months but with Halloween coming up I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect cake.  After looking at many, many cake photos I decided on a Bloody Glass Shard Red Velvet Cake.

I’ve never really done much sugar work but the glass shards looked like they would be easy to make and the decorations on the cake were minimal so I decided to go for it.   The hardest part was choosing a red velvet cake to make.   I ended up using a recipe from Dorie Greenspan for chocolate cake and changed it to make a red velvet cake.

Ingredients needed for the cake:

• flour
• cocoa powder
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• butter
• brown sugar
• sugar (I used Dixie Crystals)
• eggs
• vanilla
• buttermilk
• boiling water
• red food coloring

Several notes about this.   The batter was supposed to make two 8 inch layer cakes that would be able to be cut in half.   As soon as I pulled the cakes out of the oven I knew there was no way.  They were fairly thin and crumbly.  So I had to whip up a second batch to bake so that I would have three layers.  I’ve changed the recipe to reflect this.

The flavor of the red velvet cake was delicious.   Lightly chocolate with a really nice crumb.  It crumbled easily which was good because that was how I was decorating the top of the cake.

Once my cake were made I started on the frosting.   I just went with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting though I added in a little more milk then I normally do and I really whipped it.  The result was a super fluffy and almost whipped buttercream which was so good.

I layered the cake with the frosting and then covered the entire cake in a crumb coating.   I put it in the freezer to chill which is my new technique and helps to make a much smoother buttercream.   Then I pulled it out and put on the final layer of buttercream.

Working quickly I put the red velvet crumbs on top of the cake.  I wanted to make sure they stuck to the cake.   Then I made royal icing using corn syrup for the “bloody drizzle”.  It worked perfectly.   It was a good consistency and held the color well.

To finish off the cake I made the glass shards.   They were surprisingly easy to make.  It’s just sugar, corn syrup, and water that is cooked to 300 degrees and spread on a silpat.  Then it’s shattered into shards.  Much easier than expected.

I placed the shards around the top, drizzled them with the bloody drizzle and then piped a border to finish.   I loved the finished look of this cake.   It was a sweet looking cake destroyed by the bloody and gruesome glass shards which is totally what I was going for.

The inside of the cake was perfection.   Deep red cake layers in between pure white frosting layers.  It tasted amazing and I had to take it to work so we wouldn’t eat the whole thing!

Bloody Glass Shard Red Velvet Cake

Decadent red velvet cake layered with fluffy buttercream frosting then topped off with a bloody drizzle and candy glass shards are sure to be a hit at any Halloween event!

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks 1 cup butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 c. buttermilk or 1 cup whole milk plus 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 3/4 c. boiling water
• red food coloring

For the Frosting:

• 4 sticks 1 pound butter, softened
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 4 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

For the Glass Shards:

• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/3 c. light corn syrup

For the Bloody Drip:

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons corn syrup
• red food coloring

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray three 8 inch cake pans with baking spray. I like to put a parchment round on the bottoms of the pans.
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
• Mix in the vanilla.
• Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until fully combined. Add the milk and mix until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. The batter should be thick.
• Slowly add the boiling water stirring to fully incorporate. The batter will be much thinner at this point.
• Add enough red food coloring that the entire batter has turned deep red.
• Divide the batter between the three pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing the cakes from the pans and cooling completely on a wire rack.
• To make the frosting place the butter in a large bowl and use a mixer on medium high speed to beat it until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar in a cup at a time until the frosting is thick and smooth.
• Add in the milk and vanilla and beat at medium high speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy.
• To make the glass shards first place a silpat on a baking sheet. If you don't have one you can use parchment paper but a silpat works best.
• In a medium saucepan over medium hight heat combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil stirring occasionally.
• Keep the mixture boiling until the temperature reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and carefully pour the mixture onto the silpat.
• Move it around so that it isn't too thick. Allow it to cool for 20-30 minutes or until the sugar has hardened.
• Pick the sugar up and snap it or drop it to create the glass shards.
• To make the bloody drizzle combine the powdered sugar and corn syrup in a small bowl. Add red food coloring. Add more sugar or syrup to get the right consistency.
• To assemble the cake first flatten the tops of each layer by cutting with a serated knife. Save the scraps!
• Place one layer on a cake round and spread with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of frosting. Smooth the frosting on the layer then top with the second layer. Repeat putting the frosting on, spreading it, then topping with a third layer.
• Give the entire top and sides of the cake a thin coating of frosting which is called a crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes. This will help you get a smooth frosting on the cake.
• Remove the cake from the freezer and frost with all but 3/4 of the frosting. Make the top and sides smooth.
• Before the frosting on top firms up crumble the red velvet cake scraps on top in a circle shape leaving about an inch border around the top edge.
• Place the drizzle in a squirt bottle and go around the top edge of the cake letting drizzles fall down the sides of the cake.
• Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star tip and pipe out large swirls around the top edge of the cake.
• Take your glass shards and put them in between the frosting swirls and in different locations on top of the cake.
• Finish the cake off by placing some of the red drizzle on the sharp edges of your glass shards.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Cake recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking

Cake decorating idea from Brit + Co

Glass shard recipe from Ashlee Marie

Frosting recipe and drizzle recipe are Hezzi-D originals

Halloween Cookies & Bars:

• Cake Mix Monster Cookies from Big Bear’s Wife
• Candy Bar Cookies from Devour Dinner
• Oreo Mummy Cookies from Savory Experiments
• Easy Halloween Cake Mix Sprinkle Cookies from Family Around the Table
• Halloween Sugar Cookie Bars from House of Nash Eats

Halloween Brownies:

• The Scream Brownies from West Via Midwest
• Halloween Marshmallow Brownies from Sweet Beginnings

Halloween Pies:

• Halloween Mini S’mores Pudding Pies from For the Love of Food
•  Jack Skellington Boo-berry Pie from Savory Moments

Halloween Breakfast:

• Halloween Smoothie Bowl from Fresh Coast Eats
• Halloween Pancakes from I Am A Honeybee
• Pumpkin Spice Donuts from Pastry Chef Online

Chilled Halloween Treats:

• Pennywise Ice Cream Float from Cheese Curd in Paradise
• Wicked Witch Popsicles from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

No Bake Desserts:

• Muddy Buddy Halloween Snack Mix from Tastes of Homemade
• Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats from The Spiffy Cookie
• Ghostly Snack Mix from Fake Ginger
• Spooky Pretzel Rods from Take Two Tapas
• Halloween Candy Bark from Karen’s Kitchen Stories