Fluttering to a Kitchen Near You: Halloween Bat Cake

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, sour cream, canola oil, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and 1 cup of hot water. Stir until the batter is smooth.
2. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack to cool completely.
3. Prepare the chocolate buttercream: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of room-temperature unsalted butter until light and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup melted and cooled semisweet chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup heavy cream until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add half of the confectioners' sugar (about 2 cups) and mix. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt; beat for 1 minute.
4. Prepare the vanilla buttercream: Beat 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of room-temperature unsalted butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a splash of milk. Beat for 1 minute.
5. Place one whole cake layer in the center of a large tray or serving board. Cut the other cake layer in half to create two half circles for the wings. Position one wing on each side of the whole cake. Trim about 1 1/2 inches from the inside corner of each half circle and arrange these pieces at the top of the whole cake to form the ears. Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter or cup, cut two half circles from the bottom of each wing. Also use the same cutter to trim a small half circle from the inside top of each wing. (Refer to the provided template for a visual guide.)
6. Attach the wings and ears to the cake using a dab of chocolate buttercream. Reserve about 1/4 cup of chocolate buttercream for the eyes. Frost the entire cake with the remaining chocolate buttercream. Transfer the vanilla buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip and pipe two large eyes in the middle of the cake. Transfer the reserved chocolate buttercream to another piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe a pupil in each eye.