Halloween Chocolate Tunnel Cake
Halloween Chocolate Tunnel Cake is a moist, from scratch, dark chocolate cake filled with a tunnel of orange cheesecake center and drizzled with a cream cheese frosting. Just the right amount of festive and spooky for your Halloween party!
Servings 16
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1½ cups flour
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder I used Hershey's Special Dark
- 1⅓ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup milk I used 2%
- ⅔ cup hot water
For the cream cheese filling
- 2 bricks 8 oz each of cream cheese, at room temp
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- orange food coloring
For the cream cheese frosting
- 2 oz cream cheese at room temp
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk I used 2%
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- orange, green, purple food coloring
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and generously spray a bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix together with a whisk.1½ cups flour, ⅔ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, 1⅓ cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add in the eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk and milk until just combined.2 eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅔ cup milk
- Pour in the hot water and stir until smooth (it will look runny - this is right).⅔ cup hot water
To make the Cream Cheese Filling
- In a medium bowl, add the 2 bricks of cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer on medium until smooth.2 bricks, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the food coloring and mix until just combined.orange food coloring
- Pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a ring around the center of the chocolate batter. Gently smooth the cream cheese mixture with a spatula to evenly distribute.2 oz cream cheese
- Pour the remaining cake batter on top.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Let cool then flip onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the frosting into 3 small bowls. Use food coloring (a very small amount) to color each bowl. I used orange, green, and purple.orange, green, purple food coloring
- Drizzle each color over the cooled cake.
Notes
- Use Hershey’s Special Dark or another dark cocoa for a rich, deep color.
- Wilton Color Right kit works great for vibrant cheesecake and frosting colors.
- Coat bundt pan well with non-stick spray for easy release.
- Boxed cake mix is a fine shortcut if you’re short on time.
- Store leftover cake covered in the fridge to keep it fresh.
