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Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Spiderweb

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Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Spiderweb
Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate SpiderwebStephanie Foley

In name alone, a devil's food cake is an obvious choice for a Halloween dessert. This one will far exceed your expectations of deep chocolaty naughtiness hidden under a fluff of espresso-tinged frosting. (If your trick-or-treaters are too young to embrace the slightly adult bitterness the coffee flavor adds, feel free to substitute a couple of teaspoons of good old vanilla extract.) Have some fun with a very tasty spiderweb—you'll want to eat it rather than shriek and brush it off.

Cooks' notes:

•Cake layers can be made 2 days ahead and kept, well wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature, or 1 week ahead and frozen.
•Chocolate decorations can be made 1 day ahead and frozen.
•You can substitute 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract for the espresso powder in the frosting. •The egg whites in the frosting may not be fully cooked.
•Cake can be assembled and decorated 4 hours ahead and chilled. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

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