Nightmare Before Christmas cake

Preparation Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Cake Batter In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Stir in the boiling water to thin out the batter.

Baking the Cakes Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting In a separate mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and continue beating until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk, and if it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Assembling the Cake Once the cakes have cooled, place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread a layer of buttercream frosting on top. Place the second cake layer on top and frost the entire cake with the remaining buttercream frosting. Smooth the frosting with a spatula.

Decorating the Cake Roll out the black fondant and cut out shapes to resemble Jack Skellington's face. Roll out the white fondant and cut out two large circles for the eyes. Attach the eyes and black licorice as the mouth onto the cake using a little frosting as glue.

Finishing Touches Roll out the orange fondant and cut out different shapes to create a pumpkin patch on one side of the cake. Place candy eyeballs and small Halloween-themed figurines on and around the pumpkin patch. Sprinkle edible silver stars all over the cake for a magical touch.