Description

This impressive Batman cake features a bright lemon pound cake that hides a dark, vanilla-flavored superhero silhouette in every slice. It is a fantastic surprise-inside treat that combines a tender, moist crumb with a striking visual design perfect for themed celebrations.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter, softened
Granulated sugar
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Fresh eggs, room temperature
Heavy whipping cream
Vegetable oil
Vanilla extract
Black food coloring gel
Fresh lemons (for zest and juice)

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9 inch baking pan with butter.
In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then incorporate the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, heavy cream, oil, and vanilla extract.
Add the black food coloring gel to the batter and mix until a deep, uniform black color is achieved.
Pour the black batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25–30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean; allow to cool completely.
Use a Batman cookie cutter to punch out shapes from the black cake, place them on a tray, and freeze for 30–60 minutes.
Prepare the lemon batter by creaming butter and sugar, then mixing in eggs, flour, baking powder, heavy cream, oil, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Thoroughly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and pour about 1/3 of the lemon batter into the bottom.
Stack the frozen Batman cutouts tightly in a vertical line down the center of the loaf pan, leaving an inch of space at each end.
Spoon the remaining lemon batter over and around the shapes, smoothing the top to ensure they are fully covered.
Bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, or until the lemon portion of the cake is fully cooked and golden.

Notes

For the cleanest visual results, make sure your Batman cutouts are packed as tightly as possible in the loaf pan so that no lemon batter seeps between the individual shapes. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too quickly during the second bake, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil to protect the surface while the center finishes. Using room temperature ingredients for both batters will help ensure a perfectly emulsified, velvety texture.

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American