Halloween cake

Name: Halloween cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 200 g salted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing; 350 g plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 2½ tbsp cocoa powder; ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 375 g caster sugar; 3 eggs; 1½ tsp vanilla extract; 284 ml carton buttermilk; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 15 g pack Dr Oetker red gel food colour

Inspired by spooky spiderwebs, this chocolatey red velvet cake is a real showstopper for Halloween parties.

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Serves12
CourseCake
Prepare40 mins
Cook1 hr 10 mins
Total time1 hr 50 mins
Pluscooling and setting

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Ingredients

200g salted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
350g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2½ tbsp cocoa powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
375g caster sugar
3 eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
284ml carton buttermilk
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ x 15g pack Dr Oetker red gel food colour

For the cream cheese filling

120g salted butter at room temperature
120g Philadelphia soft cheese
120g icing sugar

For the chocolate icing

300ml double cream
250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
1½ tbsp liquid glucose
50g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 170˚C, gas mark 3. Grease the base and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. Sift together all the dry ingredients except the sugar; set aside. Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Beat in ¼ the dry ingredients, then 1/3 the buttermilk and repeat, until fully combined. Mix the vinegar and food colouring together; beat into the mixture. Scrape into the tin and spread until level; tap the tin on the work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set on a wire rack and leave to cool completely in the tin.
For the filling, use electric beaters to beat together the butter, soft cheese and icing sugar. Remove the cake from the tin and cut horizontally into 3 even layers (use a serrated knife). Take the bottom layer and place on a baking sheet, spread with ½ the filling, then repeat with the middle layer of cake and remainder of the filling; top with the final layer of cake. Leave to set in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
For the icing, melt the cream, chocolate and glucose together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Melt the white chocolate in another bowl using the same method and pour into a small piping bag.
Invert the cake onto a wire rack so there is a flat surface for the icing; set over a tray to catch the drips. Working quickly, pour the dark chocolate icing over the middle of the cake. With a palette knife, use long strokes to push the icing over the sides to create an even coating over the whole cake.
Starting slightly off centre, pipe a white chocolate spiral from the centre of the cake out to the edges (the tighter the lines, the more dramatic the effect). Take a cocktail stick and, starting from the centre, pull it through the white chocolate to the outside. Repeat, working around the cake, to create a spider’s web effect (see our Food Editor’s Top 5 page for more tips). Let the icing set for about 20-30 minutes. To store, keep refrigerated, and bring to room temperature before eating.