vegan Halloween cookies & cream fault line cake #HalloweenTreatsWeek

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray two 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons water, whisk together, and set aside to thicken.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup granulated sugar.
4. Add ¼ cup room-temperature vegan butter to the dry ingredients and beat on low until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
5. In a separate small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup vegetable oil, the flaxseed mixture, ⅓ cup nondairy yogurt, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Pour in ⅔ cup nondairy milk and beat on medium-low until the batter is smooth and creamy. Roughly crush 10 Halloween sandwich cookies with your hands, add them to the batter, and beat a few times to distribute.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely.
8. To make the black frosting, beat ½ cup shortening, ¼ cup vegan butter, and ½ tablespoon vanilla extract in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add ¼ cup dark cocoa powder, then gradually add 1½ cups powdered sugar (1 cup at a time), beating until thick. Add a pinch of salt. If needed, add 1–2 tablespoons nondairy milk to reach the right consistency. Mix in black food coloring until desired shade is achieved.
9. Once the cakes are cool, slice each layer horizontally to create 4 thin layers total.
10. Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of black frosting on top. Repeat with the remaining layers, stacking them. Reserve some black frosting for decorating the top later.
11. Refrigerate the stacked cake while you prepare the orange frosting.
12. For the orange frosting, beat 1 cup shortening, ½ cup vegan butter, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a stand mixer until smooth. Add 5 finely crushed Halloween sandwich cookies (processed into a powder), then gradually add 3 cups powdered sugar (1 cup at a time), beating until thick. Add a pinch of salt. If needed, add 1–2 tablespoons nondairy milk to adjust consistency. Mix in orange food coloring.
13. Apply a thin crumb coat of orange frosting all over the cake, then refrigerate for about 10 minutes to set.
14. While the crumb coat sets, prepare the cookies for the fault line. Carefully split additional Halloween sandwich cookies and remove the cream filling, keeping the decorated cookie halves intact. Save some whole cookies for the top decoration.
15. To create the fault line effect, attach the prepared cookie halves around the center of the cake using a dab of frosting. You can also fill gaps with crushed cookie pieces if desired.
16. Spoon the remaining orange frosting onto the top of the cake and around the sides, avoiding the attached cookies. Make sure the frosting layer is thick—it should extend outward further than the cookies to prevent a mess.
17. Using a bench scraper, carefully smooth the sides of the cake, trying not to smear frosting onto the sandwich cookies.
18. Immediately after smoothing, press black crystal sprinkles around the edges of the fault line while the frosting is still soft so they stick.
19. Refrigerate the cake after adding the black crystal sprinkles.
20. To decorate the top, fit a piping bag with a 1M tip and fill it with the reserved black frosting. Pipe tall swirls around the top edge of the cake.
21. Place a Halloween sandwich cookie between each swirl. Sprinkle Wilton Halloween mix sprinkles over the top.
22. Keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!