Halloween Pumpkin Patch Cake

Directions

1. For the cake, preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter and dust with flour. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream, oil, vinegar, and 1 cup hot water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
2. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
3. To create the pumpkins, line a small baking sheet with parchment. Melt the white chocolate chips according to the package directions, then stir in the coconut oil and orange food coloring. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate and place on the prepared sheet. Refrigerate until set. Transfer the remaining chocolate to a piping bag or squeeze bottle and pipe vertical lines on each strawberry to give a pumpkin look.
4. For the buttercream, beat the room-temperature butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Then add the remaining 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth.
5. Frost the top and sides of the cooled cake with the buttercream. Press mini pretzel sticks into the frosting around the sides to create a fence. Sprinkle three lines of crushed Oreo Thins across the top to form pumpkin patch rows. Place the chocolate-dipped strawberries on the rows. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs to resemble pumpkin vines.