Spooky Black Cat Cake

Halloween is my favorite holiday, I love all the fun decorations, the fact that you can dress up as whatever you want, but I would say my absolute favorite thing is making spooky treats. This is a a fun and easy cake to make! Your family will love it.

CAKE
	Flour No-Stick Spray
2	cups sugar
1	cup butter, softened
1	teaspoon Totonac Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4	teaspoon Totonac Almond Extract
2	large eggs
2 1/2	cups Cake Flour
1	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (alkalized) or unsweetened cocoa powder
2	teaspoons baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
2 1/4	cups buttermilk
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1 1/4	cups butter, room temperature
2	teaspoons Totonac Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract
1	teaspoon Totonac Almond Extract
8 to 9	tablespoons milk
7 1/2	cups (2 lbs.) powdered sugar
2/3	cup Cocoa Powder

Preparation Directions:

1.	HEAT oven to 350°F. Spray three 9-inch round cake pans generously with flour no-stick cooking spray.
2.	BEAT sugar, 1 cup butter, 1 teaspoon Mexican pure vanilla extract and 3/4 teaspoon almond extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; beat into creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk on medium speed. Beat 1 minute longer. Pour into prepared pans.
3.	BAKE 26 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely.
4.	BEAT 1 1/4 cups butter, 2 teaspoons Mexican pure vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract in medium bowl at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add milk and powdered sugar, scraping bowl as needed. Beat on high speed adding additional milk by the tablespoon until desired spreading consistency is achieved. Brush any loose crumbs from cooled layers. Set 1/4 cup of frosting aside. Now add 2/3 cup cocoa powder.
5.	PLACE first layer, rounded side down, on plate and cute the second layer on wax paper and cut into 4 piece, like picture below. Arrange all pieces into a cat like picture below. Spread with chocolate Buttercream Frosting to within 1/4 inch of edge of the top. Coat side of cake with thin layer of frosting to seal in crumbs. Frost side and top of cake. Pipe the white frosting on as eyes and some of the chocolate frosting as the iris, if desired use food coloring and make yellow eyes and a pink nose.
6.	REFRIGERATE cake to set frosting; allow cake to stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.
	High Altitude (above 3500 feet):
1.	HEAT oven to 375°F. Decrease sugar in cake to 1 3/4 cups and baking soda to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Increase cake flour to 2-3/4 cups.