Cemetery Cake

Total Time Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 35 min. + cooling
Yield 16 servings
Test Kitchen Approved
Underneath tasty tombstones, ghosts, pumpkins, worms and soil that make this dessert a conversation piece, you'll find a delectable chocolate cake made from scratch in a few simple steps. It's a recipe I use year-round with different frostings. —Vicki Schlechter, Davis, California

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • FROSTING:
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 18 Oreo cookies
  • Black decorator's icing or gel
  • 9 cream-filled oval vanilla sandwich cookies
  • 1 cup whipped topping
  • Pumpkin candies and gummy worms, optional

Directions

  1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a saucepan, combine butter, water and cocoa; bring to a boil over medium heat. Add to flour mixture; beat well. Beat in sour cream and eggs.
  2. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine butter, milk and cocoa; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in sugar and vanilla. Pour over warm cake. Crumble chocolate cookies; sprinkle over frosting while still warm. Cool completely.
  4. For tombstone, use icing to decorate vanilla cookies with words or faces; place on cake. For ghosts, make mounds of whipped topping; use icing to add eyes and mouths as desired. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, add pumpkins and gummy worms if desired.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 483 calories, 22g fat (12g saturated fat), 70mg cholesterol, 423mg sodium, 69g carbohydrate (48g sugars, 1g fiber), 4g protein.

Underneath tasty tombstones, ghosts, pumpkins, worms and soil that make this dessert a conversation piece, you'll find a delectable chocolate cake made from scratch in a few simple steps. It's a recipe I use year-round with different frostings. —Vicki Schlechter, Davis, California
Recipe Creator

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