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Going Away Cake
Have a coworker leaving...and want a hilariously witty send-off cake? This 'Cards Against Humanity' Going-away cake will definitely be a hit!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 779kcal
Equipment
- small piping bag (or squeeze bottle; to add cake drip)
- 1 Cards Against Humanity cards - I used a black 'A successful job interview starts with a firm handshake and ends with' and a white 'letting everyone down' card. Choice of cards is up to you, but feel free to email me if you need a template!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake layers
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (350g)
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar (450g)
- 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder (100g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (5g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt (4g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 250g; room temperature)
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk (350mL, at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package, softened)
- 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
Filling, cake drip & Decorations
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (12 ounces)
- 2-3 drops Black gel food color (save and add later)
- Black/gold sprinkle mix of your choice (optional; the mix I used has been discontinued, but this SprinkleDeco mix is very similar! See this post for a sprinkle drip tutorial.)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake layers
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Grease 3 8-inch cake pans with baker's floured spray and/or line pans with parchment rounds.
- Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle (or hand mixer or whisk) until well combined. Add in bits of softened butter, mixing until no lumps of butter are visible and the mixture looks crumbly.
- Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 20 seconds.
- Fill the three pans evenly - I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part, and each of mine weighed out to about 550g. Bake for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans, and cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a great time to make your frosting and ganache filling/drip!)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
Chocolate ganache filling & cake drip
- Combine chocolate chips and whipping cream in a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on half power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until fully melted and smooth.
- Remove about 1 cup of ganache and transfer to a shallow bowl or dish. Refrigerate until thick enough to spread - this will be your cake filling. Add black gel food coloring to the remaining ganache and stir until color is even.
Assembly
- Once your cake layers are cool, level them (if needed). This can be done with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife and a ruler.
- Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. With your piping bag, pipe a small ‘dam’ of frosting around the outer edge of the cake, and fill the center with chocolate ganache. (Or if you’d rather fill with frosting, you can absolutely do that instead!)
- Add the next layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
- Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer. I usually do this with my large offset spatula.
- Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part. Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge or freezer to set the frosting.
Okaaaay......the drip!
- Allow black chocolate ganache to cool to a moderate temperature - it should still be liquid but feel only slightly warm. (Too cold and it won't drip; too hot and it might melt the frosting.) Transfer ganache to a piping bag or squeeze bottle. (A spoon will also work; you'll just have a bit less control.)
- Start with a test drip to check consistency - microwave for a few seconds if too thick, allow to cool 5-10 minutes if too thin. Slowly drizzle ganache around the upper edge of your cake, pausing every inch or so to let more ganache fall in a drip down the side of the cake. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining ganache, and return cake to the fridge for 3-5 minutes to soft-set the drips.
Decorating
- (Optional - to add sprinkles to the drip, once the drips are semi-set, put a bit of butter or shortening on your fingertip and use that finger to transfer sprinkles to your black drip. This is a fun step, but a bit time-consuming.)
- Once drips are well-set, add a small drizzle of ganache to the rim of the cake, and add some sprinkles over the ganache.
- Tape a toothpick or small skewer to the back of each 'Cards Against Humanity' cards, and place them next to each other on top of the cake.
- And you’re done! Have a great send-off for your coworker!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate, and may not be exactly accurate.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 779kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 39g
Mentioned in post: Chocolate Cake, Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
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