Home · Recipes · Desserts & Baking · Cake Recipes · Layer Cakes Surprise Bloody Cake Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Oct 13, 2016Updated: Sep 8, 2022 View Recipe17 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. This surprise bloody cake will definitely shock your Halloween guests! It’s a four layer vanilla cake with Swiss buttercream and raspberry coulis. I don’t handle surprises very well. No surprise parties, no deviating from the itinerary, nothing out of the ordinary, please. When it comes to Halloween tricks, count me out! I’d rather pour my effort into all the Halloween treats! Surprise Bloody Cake This surprise bloody cake is the extent of surprises I can handle on Halloween. From the outside it looks like an unassuming cake. But once you slice into it, BLOOD! Raspberry coulis gushes out and drips all over the inside of the cake. This spooky layer cake is made with vanilla cake. I used the vanilla cake from this strawberry vanilla cake. It’s a flavorful cake that is fairly dense and sturdy- making it perfect for stacking. However, you may sub other flavors such as classic chocolate cake, pumpkin cake, or yellow cake. How to assemble layer cake Generously brush raspberry simple simple syrup over cake layer. This ensures the cake stays moist. Spread thin layer of buttercream over cake. Place another cake layer and repeat syrup and buttercream process.Place third cake layer on top. Brush with simple syrup and add thin layer of buttercream. Use a piping bag fitted with small round tip to create a buttercream border along the edges of cake.Gently pour raspberry coulis into the piped buttercream ring.Spread a very thin layer of buttercream over the 4th (final) cake layer. Invert the cake layer and place it frosted side down on top of the cake to cover the raspberry coulis. The third layer of cake contains the surprise blood! I made a quick raspberry coulis to mimic blood! What is coulis? “Coulis” is simply a fancy French word that means strained fruit puree. It is deceptively simple to make and it can elevate any dessert. Use it as a topping for ice cream, lava cake, cheesecake, panna cotta, etc. Raspberry creates the deepest red colored coulis. Strawberry is a suitable alternative. However, the “blood” won’t look as vibrant. You may need to add food coloring (powder, gel, or liquid) to achieve the same deep red color as raspberry. Here’s to a happy Halloween without any tricks, scares, and/or pranks. Let’s just all be nice to each other and hand out lots and lots of treats. Surprise Bloody Cake 5 from 1 vote This surprise bloody cake will definitely shock your Halloween guests! It’s a four layer vanilla cake with Swiss buttercream and raspberry coulis. Yield: four layer 6-inch cake Prep Time: 40 minutes minutesCook Time: 30 minutes minutesAssembly Time: 20 minutes minutesTotal Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes Servings: 10 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe IngredientsVanilla Cake:▢ 3 cups cake flour (370 g) ▢ 4 teaspoon baking powder▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt or fine sea salt▢ 1 cup whole milk▢ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract , or vanilla paste▢ 12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter (170 g), room temp▢ 6 large egg whites , room temp▢ 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300 g)Swiss Buttercream:▢ 6 large egg whites▢ 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300 g)▢ 2 cups unsalted butter (454 g) cut into tablespoons, softened▢ pinch kosher salt or fine sea saltRaspberry Coulis:▢ 12 oz package frozen raspberries▢ 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar (65 g)▢ 2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice▢ 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zestRaspberry Simple Syrup:▢ 3 Tablespoons simple syrup (see notes)▢ 1 Tablespoon raspberry liqueur* such as Chambord Instructions Vanilla Cake:Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter and lightly flour four 6-inch cake pans. Line bottom with parchment paper and set aside.Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg whites, and vanilla. Set aside.In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and mix until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed while adding 1/2 of the liquid ingredients. Add another 1/3 of dry, follow with remaining liquid ingredients, and end with remaining dry ingredients. Mix until batter is evenly combined.Divide batter among prepared cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Allow cake to cool to room temperature on wire racks. Once cake is cool, use a serrated knife to level off cake layers if necessary.Swiss Buttercream:In the bowl of stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler. Make sure simmering water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk sugar egg mixture until it reaches a temperature of 160°F. Alternatively, if you don't have a thermometer, heat until all the sugar has melted. You can test this by dipped your pointer finger into the warm mixture and rubbing it against your thumb. The mixture should be smooth. You should not be able to feel the granules of sugar.Return bowl to the stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, beat mixture at medium speed until it has cooled to room temperature. Reduce speed to low and add butter one tablespoon at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add pinch of salt. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until buttercream is light and fluffy.Raspberry Coulis:In a medium sauce pot, add frozen raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat until sugar has melted, raspberries have thawed, and mixture has slightly thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent raspberry sauce from burning along the sides of the pot. Remove from heat. Strain out raspberry seeds. Keep raspberry coulis (sauce) in the fridge until ready to use.Raspberry Simple Syrup:Mix together simple syrup and raspberry liqueur. Set aside until ready to assemble cakeAssembly:Place one cake layer on a serving platter or cake turntable. Generously brush raspberry simple syrup over cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on cake. Place another cake layer and repeat adding simple syrup and buttercream.Place third cake layer on top. Brush with simple syrup. Spread a very thin layer of buttercream on cake. Using a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to pipe a buttercream border along the edges of the cake. Gently pour raspberry coulis into the piped ring of buttercream. Reserve remaining raspberry coulis for serving.Spread a very thin layer of buttercream over the last cake layer. Invert cake layer and place frosted side on top of cake to cover raspberry coulis.Spread a layer of buttercream around the sides of the cake to seal in the crumbs (crumb coat). Place in the fridge and allow to chill for 15 minutes to set the buttercream. Add another thin layer of buttercream. While the turntable to rotating, use a toothpick to drag lines around the cake. Keep cake stored in the fridge until ready to serve. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving. Once you slice into cake, the raspberry coulis will ooze out. Serve cake slices with reserved raspberry coulis. NotesSimple Syrup: Bring to a boil equal parts water and sugar. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Keep chilled. Store covered in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Liqueur for simple syrup is optional. Simply omit if desired. All images and text ©The Little Epicurean NutritionCalories: 911kcal | Carbohydrates: 104g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 74g | Vitamin A: 1606IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 1mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: DessertCuisine: American Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean.
Carole from Carole's Chatter says: October 13, 2016 Hi there , love this. Would you like to share this with the other participants in Food on Friday over at Carole’s Chatter? I have a weekly link up party – each week there is a different ingredient or theme. The current theme is Holiday Treats. You can see upcoming themes in one of the pages at the top of my home page. If you would like to join in the fun please schedule a reminder for each week. The collection starts at 7am Friday New Zealand time – which is probably some time Thursday your time – I do find time zones quite confusing. Hope to see you soon. Cheers, Carole Reply
Cookin Canuck says: October 13, 2016 You have outdone yourself with this cake! What an awesome dessert idea for a Halloween party. Reply
Jenny | Honey and Birch says: October 13, 2016 This is such an AWESOME idea!! I want to throw a Halloween party just so I can make this cake. Reply
Melanie | Melanie Makes says: October 14, 2016 Love that this cake is so classic on the outside but little does anyone know what awaits them upon first cut! Reply
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says: October 14, 2016 Oh my gracious! This may be the coolest Halloween cake I’ve ever seen. I love the surprise factor when cutting into that pretty cake. AWESOME! Reply
Hannah Hossack-Lodge (Domestic Gothess) says: October 15, 2016 This is AWESOME!! So simple yet so effective :) Reply
Cindy Rodriguez says: October 5, 2017 I absolutely love this cake! And I must admit, I often like a little surprise…especially if it’s to my boys’ delight. I can only imagine what it looks like when it’s first sliced in to…the “blood” oozing down. Amazing! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: October 29, 2018 I haven’t tested this recipe with strawberries, but I’m sure it would work.
Jodie says: October 27, 2019 I don’t have 6″ pans, can I make it in 2 8″ pans then slice each 8″ layer into 2? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: October 27, 2019 You can bake the cake using two 8-inch round pans. However, you will have to adjust baking time.
Sabrina says: October 20, 2020 what a great idea, love the bloody surprise, very creative, thank you! Reply
Sydney says: October 27, 2021 I love the idea of this recipe! I was wondering though if I make it 1 day in advance, if the cake will get soggy because of the raspberry jam? Reply
Leslie says: October 28, 2023 This was super fun. The only recommendation I’d add is to add a 15 minute chill time in Step 2 BEFORE adding the coule…as someone who had never made swiss buttercream I didn’t realize it would get soft and start melting so fast in a 70° house. The coule leaked out. Still super fun but that tweak would help someone new to baking cakes. I couldn’t stop the bleeding LOL but I had fun. :-) Reply
CWM says: October 31, 2023 This was an AMAZING recipe. The only change I had to make was adding about half a teaspoon of vanilla into the buttercream, before that it just tasted like butter to me, but with that extra zazz? Perfection. I had plenty of extra coulis to serve alongside the cake at work as well, and my coworkers loved the bleeding surprise. Reply