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Spooky Spider Halloween Cake

Posted on 29 Oct, 2016 by Sarah Hart

Baking with your kids!

As is usual in the Hart household, during any school holiday, I do like to getting my pinny and rolling pin out and do a bit of baking!  And as we’re off to a party this Halloween weekend, I thought we’d make a Spooky Spider cake to take along with us. If you like a bit of baking with your children and want to have a go here is the recipe (it’s easy……I’m no Great British Bake-Off contestant!):

Spooky Spider Chocolate Fudge Cake

(serves 12)

Ingredients:

250g dark Belgian cooking chocolate

200g unsalted butter

200g light muscovado sugar

100ml soured cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

200g self raising flour

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

250g icing sugar

8 Mint Chocolate Matchmakers

1 Mallow tea cake

1 Minstrel

black and white icing for decorating

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C, 140 C fan, Gas mark 3. Line the base of a 20cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Over a low heat, melt 200g chocolate with butter, muscovado sugar and 100ml hot water, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and cool for 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir in the soured cream, eggs and vanilla extract. Sieve together the flour and cocoa powder, then whisk into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the cake tin. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to coll on a wire rack.
3. Place the icing sugar in a bowl. Add cold water, a little at a time, until the mixture is soft but spreadable. Invert the cake so you have a smooth surface for icing. Spread the icing over the top and allow it to dribble slightly over the edge.
4. Melt the remaining 50g chocolate, then allow to cool slightly to thicken. Spoon into a disposable piping bag. Snip off the end to give a very small hole and pipe a spider web, slightly off centre, on top of the cake.
5. Cut the mint Matchmakers into 8 x 3cm pieces for the spider’s upper legs and 8 x 2cm pieces for the lower legs. using melted chocolate, join the upper legs to the lower legs. using melted chocolate, join the upper legs to the lower legs and lay on their sides on baking parchment to set.
6. Place the tea cake on the web for the spider’s body, and the Minstrel for the head. Using white and black icing, pipe on a pair of eyes. arrange the legs into the cake.

I’ve put together a Halloween Fun treat foods Pin board here on Pinterest if you would like more ideas for fun treats to make with the kids this Halloween! (And if you’re looking for Healthy Halloween treats to make – there’s another board here)

Wishing you all a Spooktacular Halloween! Would love to hear if you’ve had a go at making the spooky spider halloween cake yourselves!

Love

Sarah x