Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prepare and preheat
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two cake pans.
- Whisk flour, granulated sugar, and baking soda in a bowl until evenly combined.
Make the batter
- In another bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, red food coloring, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and uniform.
Bake
- Divide batter between pans and bake 30–35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cakes completely before frosting and stacking.
Assemble and decorate
- Stack layers and spread cream cheese frosting between layers to build the tall cake.
- Chill the frosted cake before piping the web design for cleaner lines.
- Pipe a web design on top using melted dark chocolate for web design, then use a toothpick to draw the classic spiderweb pattern before piping if needed.
Notes
For cleaner web lines, chill the fully frosted cake before piping, then optionally lightly map the spiderweb with a toothpick first. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze frosted cake slices in an airtight container for up to 1 month (thaw overnight in the fridge). For an easy swap, use low-fat cream cheese frosting to reduce overall fat while keeping the same stacked texture.