Kyle’s Kitchen- Brain food for your Halloween

You may need to go to a specialty butcher shop if you want to make the original recipe, but Kyle’s offering a substitute-ingredient version that’s legal in every state. It’s made with moist red velvet cake layers, pink buttercream frosting, and raspberry jam blood. This is a little more complex then his usual recipes, so don’t wait for Halloween Eve to start!

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups cake flour (300g)
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (10g)
1 tsp baking soda (6g)
1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (350g)
2 large eggs, room temperature (112g)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature (300g)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (120g)
2 tsp vanilla extract (8g)
1 tsp white vinegar (4g)
2 squirts of red gel food coloring (or 1 Tbsp liquid food coloring)

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (339g or 3 sticks)
1 cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (226g or 8 oz.)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (12g)
1 tsp fine salt (6g)
8 cups powdered sugar (1000g)
3 Tbsp heavy cream or whipping cream (45g)
small squirt of red gel food coloring (or 1 tsp liquid food coloring)

Edible Fake Blood

1/2 cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jam
3 Tbsp water (45g)
[1/4 tsp red gel food coloring or 1 tsp liquid food coloring – optional]

Additional Tools / Decorations

10-inch greaseproof cake board
Spinning Cake Stand
Small offset spatula
1 Large Piping Bag
Large Round Piping Tip – like an Ateco 805
Pastry Brush

Instructions

Red Velvet Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease three 8-inch or 3 7-inch cake pans with homemade cake release or non-stick baking spray and parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups cake flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment to cream together 1/2 cup of butter and 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar. Mix on a medium high speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes lighter in color. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
Mix in 2 large eggs on a medium speed until fully combined.
Add in 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 1/2 cup of oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp white vinegar, and 2 squirts of red food coloring. Mix on a low speed until combined. The mixture might look broken at this stage but I promise it will come together once we add in the dry ingredients.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a low speed in two additions. Mix until just combined and you can no longer see any visible streaks of cake flour.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bang the pans on your counter a few times to release any air bubbles that might be trapped in the batter. Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the pans from oven and let them cool for 10 minutes then run a small offset spatula around perimeter. Carefully flip the layers out of their pans and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Level two of the cake layers with a serrated knife once they’re fully cooled, leaving one rounded to go on top of the cake.
Stack the cake layers on top of each other and cut 2 sides of the cake to create an oval/brain shape. Use a small, sharp knife to make the top of the cake a bit more rounded. If your cake layers seem to be tearing or you’re having a hard time cutting them, pop the cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes. It will help them keep their shape better and make them a lot easier to cut. In the video and photo below I trimmed the cake layers once they were stacked and frosted, but I found that trimming them earlier in the process wastes less frosting and makes the whole process easier.
If you’re making these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

Beat 1 1/2 cups of butter and 1 cup of cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting use additional butter in place of the cream cheese in this frosting recipe.
Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla and 1 tsp salt, and beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Slowly mix in 8 cups of powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp of heavy cream on a low speed. Place a kitchen towel over your mixer to prevent powdered sugar clouds from coating your kitchen. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time). Once the frosting reaches the desired consistency, add a small squirt of red food coloring and mix until the frosting is a light shade of pink and evenly colored.
Cover the frosting with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Set aside.

Edible Blood:

Place the seedless raspberry jam, 3 tablespoons of water and 1/4 tsp of red gel food coloring in a small bowl. Whisk together until the jam has a thin, smooth consistency and is bright red. Cover and set aside.

Decorating this Brain Cake:

Stack and frost the cake layers on a greaseproof cake board, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Spread an even layer of frosting between each cake layer.
Add a thin coat of frosting around the cake that fully covers the cake layers. Smooth using an offset spatula or small acetate sheet, then chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
Place the frosting in a large piping bag fit with a large round tip like an Ateco 805.
Remove the cake from the fridge or freezer and use an offset spatula or butter knife to create a line down the center of the cake to create the right and left hemisphere of the brain. Pipe squiggly lines one each side of the cake to look like a brain. Don’t stress if your lines aren’t perfect or if there are some small gaps, the frosting is going to get completely coated in jam and no one will notice!!
Once the cake is fully covered, chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) again until the frosting is completely firm to the touch.
Remove the cake from the fridge or freezer and use a pastry brush to spread a thick layer of the jam mixture over the pink frosting. Make sure you get the blood into all the nooks and crannies between the frosting squiggles! Then add a bit around the base to make this cake look even scarier and enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Brain Cake

Ingredients at room temp mix together better, so set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Properly measure your cake flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated once you’ve added in the cake flour. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy.
Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. Make sure each pan has the same amount of batter will make your cake layers bake to the same heigh and bake more evenly.
Bang your cake pans on the counter before putting them in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
Level your room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to trim, stack and frost them!
Don’t stress if your piped frosting isn’t perfect or if there are some small gaps, the frosting is going to get completely coated in jam and no one will notice!!
Use the leftover cake trimmings to make cake pops, enjoy them as a snack with leftover buttercream or crumble up the layers and sprinkle on top of ice cream! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.
Make your frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.
A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in the moisture and keeps the cake fresh and delicious!