Spooky Monster Cake

Step 1: Heat oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans.

Step 3: Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Step 4: Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and with an electric mixer beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Step 5: Stir in hot coffee (batter will be thin!) and pour batter into prepared pans.

Step 6: Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Step 7: Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Frosting

Step 8: Beat the softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until soft and creamy.

Step 9: Continue to beat over medium speed and gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed

Step 10: Add the vanilla.

Step 11: Beat in the heavy cream 1 Tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Step 12: Frosting into 3 bowls and tint with food coloring. 1 purple, 1 lime green, and 1 orange

To Assemble

Step 13: Fit 3 separate decorating bags with 1/2-inch round piping tip; fill each with different color frosting.

Step 14: Place first cake layer on plate.

Step 15: Using green frosting, pipe around top edge of cake layer, forming a thick frosting border.

Step 16: Spread additional frosting over top of cake inside frosting border.

Step 17: Top with second cake layer; repeat border and filling with purple frosting.

Step 18: Place third cake layer on top; repeat with orange frosting.

Step 19: Pipe remaining frosting into mounds over top of cake, alternating colors and sizes of mounds.

Step 20: Decorate as desired using candy eyeballs on frosting mounds and side of cake.

Step 21: Store cake covered at room temperature.