HALLOWEEN CHOCOLATE GRAVEYARD CAKE

Ghost Meringues

• 75g egg white, at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 40g white chocolate, melted
• Wilton Mini Candy Eyeballs from Spotlight

Dark Chocolate Trees

• 100g dark chocolate melted
• Orange Candy Melt Skulls
• 100g Wilton Orange Candy Melts from Spotlight

Tombstones

• 1 x packet of Arnotts Honey Jumble Biscuits

Edible dirt

• 1 x packet of chocolate biscuits (I used Chocolate Ripple biscuits)

To decorate

• 1 x Spooky Hollow Cupcake Set from Spotlight

1 x Neon Sour Worms from Spotlight

Key Tools

• Electric beaters
• Disposable piping bags
• Palette knife
• Cake board
• Plastic skull mould from Spotlight
• Edible food pen in black from Spotlight
• Turntable

INSTRUCTIONS

Cake

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan forced, 180 degrees conventional.

Step 2 - Grease and line a 24cm round springform tin with greaseproof paper.

Step 3 - Place dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add melted butter and mix, followed by the milk and eggs. Do not overmix.

Step 4 - Pour the batter into the tin and evenly spread to the edges of the tin.

Step 5 - Bake in the oven for 60 mins or when a skewer is inserted into the cake and comes out clean.

Step 6 - Once baked, allow to cool in the tin for 15 mins before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream

Step 1 - Place butter in the bowl of an electric beater fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until pale in colour.

Step 2 - Gradually add sifted icing sugar in batches and continue to beat.

Step 3 - Add cocoa powder, salt and vanilla and beat through. Set aside until ready to use.

Ghost Meringues

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 110c fan forced, 130c conventional

Step 2 - Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Step 3 - Place egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on a medium speed until soft peaks form.

Step 4 - Add caster sugar one tablespoon at a time until meringue is stiff and glossy.

Step 5 - Transfer the meringue mixture into a disposable piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and carefully pipe ghosts. Start by piping a circle of meringue onto the greaseproof paper and swirling the meringue around and up.

Step 6 - Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Once cooked, do not open the oven door. Simply turn off oven and allow meringues to rest in oven for 3 hours - or overnight!

Step 7 - To apply your mini eyeballs, place a dab of melted white chocolate onto the meringue. Stick the eyeball to the white chocolate and allow to set.

Dark Chocolate Trees

Step 1 - Line a baking tray or chopping board with greaseproof paper.

Step 2 - Place dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt chocolate on medium heat in one-minute blasts.

Step 3 - Once chocolate has melted, transfer to a disposable piping bag. Snip the tip of the piping bag off and pipe trees on to the greaseproof paper.

Step 4 - Allow to set in fridge.

Orange Skulls

Step 1 - Line a baking tray or chopping board with greaseproof paper.

Step 2 - Place candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and melt on medium heat in one-minute blasts.

Step 3 - Once candy melts have melted, transfer to a disposable piping bag. Snip the tip of the piping bag off and fill skull mould with piping bag.

Step 4 - Carefully tap the mould to remove any air bubbles.

Step 5 - Allow to set in fridge

Tombstones

Step 1 - Using an edible pen, write RIP onto the front of the honey jumble biscuit.

Edible Dirt

Step 1 - Blitz chocolate biscuits in a food processor to form crumbs. Or place in a zip lock bag and roll over with a rolling pin to crush the biscuits

Assembly

Step 1 - Take cooled cake and apply a small knob of buttercream to cake board. Place cake onto the buttercream and press down to affix the cake to the board.

Step 2 - Thickly spread buttercream onto the cake and using a palette knife, spread to the edges.

Step 3 - Spoon over the edible dirt

Step 4 - Next, insert honey jumble biscuits onto cake along with your dark chocolate trees. You may need to use a knife to make an indentation, so the trees and tombstones do not fall.

Step 5 - Scatter the skulls around the cake and place your ghost meringues where you please.

Step 6 - Add Spotlight Cupcake toppers and finally, the sour worms.

Project by @CINTAANDCO