Chocolate Blood Cake

Rich, dark chocolate cake served with a side of blood red raspberry coulis.

Ingredients

For the cake

225g plain flour

350g caster sugar

85g cocoa powder

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

250ml milk

125ml vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

250ml boiling water

Chocolate Sauce

200ml plain chocolate

200ml double cream

Coulis

300ml raspberries

2 tablespoons icing sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Method

Pre heat oven to 180c / 160c fan

Grease and line two round 8″ tins

Put all the ingredients for the cake only except the boiling water into a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Once the mixture is fully combined and smooth start adding the boiling water a little at a time and whisking in.

Divide between two tins and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool for 10 mins or so before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling it’s time to make your chocolate sauce.

Place your broken chocolate pieces and double cream into a medium saucepan and heat over a low heat so the two slowly melt together. Stir all the time with a wooden spoon or whisk. Leave to fully cool.

When your cake is cool sandwich together with some of the chocolate sauce and then pour over the top spreading all over the top and sides to fully coat.

For the coulis simply blitz the raspberries, lemon juice and icing sugar together to form a liquid and pour through a sieve to remove any seeds.

Adorn with your blood red raspberry coulis.

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Halloween Cake

I had way too much fun making this cake. It’s a great idea if you are having a Halloween party and it even has it’s own built in knife to slice it up with.

Ingredients

225g soft butter

225g caster sugar

225g self raising flour

2 level teaspoons baking powder

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(for the filling)

4 tablespoons strawberry jam

For the frosting

150g butter softened

450g icing

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Red food colouring – keep separate

Simply add all the ingredients for the cake (except the topping) into your mixing bowl. Cream together all the ingredients. I do this with an electric whisk to save time and effort.Transfer evenly between your two cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for approx 25 minutes.

While the cake is cooling mix up your buttercream.

Gently drip over your red food colouring at the sides of the cake so it gently rolls down to form a drip. You may wish to put the cake on a lined plate so that the red food colouring does not stain anything. Then dot the odd bit of colouring about and gently blow on it to give it a splatter effect.

Adorn with your knife of choice and serve to your terrified guests.

Peppermint Cream Rocky Horror Road

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Happy Halloween!

You might have gathered that I’m slightly obsessed with rocky road. It’s my favourite and I love thinking up new versions. This spooky rocky horror road is packed with crunchy oreos, milk chocolate, fluffy marshmallows and peppermint creams. Too good for the trick or treaters!

Ingredients

100g milk chocolate

120g peppermint creams – chopped into quarters

75g mini marshmallows

80g golden syrup

200g oreos

135g butter

Method

Line an 18×18 inch tin with greaseproof paper

Bash up your oreos so they are in fragments rather than crumbs. I do this by putting them in wax wrap and hitting them with a rolling pin.

Add your butter, golden syrup and milk chocolate to a pan and melt over a low heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so.

Now add the oreos, marshmallows and lastly the peppermint cream quarters.

Mix to combine and transfer into your lined tin.

Cool in the fridge for a few hours but preferably overnight.

Cut into whatever size pieces you desire.

Tip: This variety is best served straight from the fridge

Pumpkin Spice Halloween Cake Pops

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Perfect for trick or treat. Filled with pumpkin spice cake and buttercream or pickled onions the choice is yours haha!

Thank you to my girls for their input and assistance with this one.

Makes 16 cake pops

Ingredients

For the sponge

125g butter

125g self raising flour

125g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Buttercream

110g icing sugar

50g butter

Half teaspoon vanilla extract

Drop or 2 of cold water to mix

Decor

150g white chocolate

Black writing icing in a tube

Method

Preheat oven to 180c / 160c fan

Line and grease an 8 inch cake tin.

Add all ingredients for the sponge to a large mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined and you have a smooth and creamy consistency.

Spoon into your cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for approx 25 minutes until lightly golden and springy to the touch.

Meanwhile mix up the buttercream in a separate large bowl.

When the cake is baked remove from oven and allow to stand in the tin for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.

Snap the cake into pieces, add to your bowl of buttercream and mix together. Roll into balls ( a bit smaller than a golf ball), pop in a stick and leave to set in the fridge for an hour.

Remove from fridge, melt your white chocolate and dip each cake pop in to fully coat.

Once the chocolate coating is completely dry draw on your ghoul faces with the tube of black icing.

Tip: If you don’t have cake pop sticks just use straws.