Baking is something I love dearly, yet I never really get the opportunity to bake things for fun. I'm either super busy at work or I'm just too tired!
So when my favourite time of year comes around, and my work decided to have a Halloween charity fundraiser, I jumped at the chance to get my baking mitts on and create something I've never made before!
Both these recipes were simple ones I found via Google, and but with the cake I added a few ingredients to create a spooky and thrilling effect perfect for Halloween!
Ingredients
125g/4oz butter or margarine, softened
So when my favourite time of year comes around, and my work decided to have a Halloween charity fundraiser, I jumped at the chance to get my baking mitts on and create something I've never made before!
Both these recipes were simple ones I found via Google, and but with the cake I added a few ingredients to create a spooky and thrilling effect perfect for Halloween!
Ingredients
125g/4oz butter or margarine, softened
125g/4oz caster sugar
2 medium eggs
125g/4oz self raising flour
Additions;
Green, orange and black food colouring
1 Lime
1 Orange or Orange Extract
125g Cocoa Powder
2 medium eggs
125g/4oz self raising flour
Additions;
Green, orange and black food colouring
1 Lime
1 Orange or Orange Extract
125g Cocoa Powder
Ganache;
125g Double Cream
200g Dark Chocolate
125g Double Cream
200g Dark Chocolate
The above ingredients aside from the ganache is per sponge cake, as I made five and had one with cocoa powder, one with lime and one with orange.
Method
1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Line your 18cm/7in cake tins with baking parchment
3. Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale. Use an electric hand mixer if you have one.
4. Beat in the eggs.
5. Sift over the flour and fold in using a large metal spoon.
6. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency; if it is not, add a little milk. This is where you add your extra ingredients, cocoa powder, lime zest, orange extract etc...until you are happy with how your mixture looks for each cake tin.
7. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to cool.
I found the best method for me was just doing one mixture at a time to allow it to cook and to wash up after each one and reuse the equipment.
Whilst waiting for the cakes to cool, prepare the ganache. This is done by simply melting the 200g of dark chocolate over boiling water on the hob, then mixing with the double cream. I also added some black food colouring to give it more of a Halloween effect.
Then use a little of the ganache to wedge each sponge cake on top of one another so they won't slip.
Applying the ganache to the rest of the cake was a very messy process, I must admit, a lot was probably wasted when it ran down onto the work top. But I was very happy with the overall finish.
For the Brownies;
1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Line your 18cm/7in cake tins with baking parchment
3. Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale. Use an electric hand mixer if you have one.
4. Beat in the eggs.
5. Sift over the flour and fold in using a large metal spoon.
6. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency; if it is not, add a little milk. This is where you add your extra ingredients, cocoa powder, lime zest, orange extract etc...until you are happy with how your mixture looks for each cake tin.
7. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to cool.
I found the best method for me was just doing one mixture at a time to allow it to cook and to wash up after each one and reuse the equipment.
Whilst waiting for the cakes to cool, prepare the ganache. This is done by simply melting the 200g of dark chocolate over boiling water on the hob, then mixing with the double cream. I also added some black food colouring to give it more of a Halloween effect.
Then use a little of the ganache to wedge each sponge cake on top of one another so they won't slip.
Applying the ganache to the rest of the cake was a very messy process, I must admit, a lot was probably wasted when it ran down onto the work top. But I was very happy with the overall finish.
For the Brownies;
185g unsalted butter
Method
1.Put the butter into a medium bowl along with the dark chocolate and melt over a saucepan.
- 185g best dark chocolate
- 85g plain flour
- 40g cocoa powder
- 3 large egg
- 275g golden caster sugar
Method
1.Put the butter into a medium bowl along with the dark chocolate and melt over a saucepan.
2. Whilst waiting for the chocolate to cool, put the flour and cocoa powder into a sieve over a bowl, then, in another bowl, mix the eggs and caster sugar together until creamy and pale. Also, line a baking tin with baking parchment ready for the mixture.
3. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together using a figure of eight.
4. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and put in the oven for 25/30 minutes.
6. I used the extra ganache I had to wedge the Waitrose bought edible Halloween characters on top of the brownies, which I thought completed the spooky look.
What treats have you made this Halloween?
