Happy Halloween 2012!

Happy Halloween!! I hope everyone has a fantastic frightening day. On my to do list today - pick up  more candy just in case we get trick or treaters, the other stuff has already been eaten!

There's not really anything new in this post except for my jack o'lantern, which I am rather pleased with! Isn't he creepy!!

If you still haven't had enough of all things Halloween I've included a round up of this years posts as well as a few favourites from last year.

Candy Corn Cake

Spider Web Tarts

Haunted House Treat Boxes

Zombie Graveyard Cake

Skeleton Sugar Cookies

I didn't get to share these guys but I think you get the idea. They are very simple to make, just knead a little black food colour into your favourite sugar cookie recipe and bake a normal. Draw on a skeleton in some plain white royal icing and they you have them, skeleton cookies. I was able to cheat following the skeleton imprint made by the cute Gingerdead man cookie cutter given to me by boyfriends sister.

 Light Up Jack'o'lantern Cookies

 Poison (Candy) Apples

Zombie Graveyard Cake

October has gone way too fast!! There were so many more ideas I wanted to try before Halloween, but I am thankful I at least got to share this one because it is my favourite!

Zombie movies have always topped my fav scary film list and funny zombie movies are even better. Now I'm not talking the terrifying run really fast rage zombies, I like my undead slow, stumbling and searching for brains. Think Return of the Living Dead, which I watched again last weekend and laughed my butt off the whole way through! In fact it was the inspiration behind this cake.

Ever since I made the hearts inside valentines cake last year I've been wanting to use this technique again and what could be more fitting for Halloween then a graveyard cake bursting with zombies! Make it past the undead crawling out the top, slice into the cake and you'll find a surprise! Its full of bones (cake bones that is).

Making the cake isn't very difficult and if you often have cake off cuts like I do its a great way to us them up. If you don't have any spare off cuts it's as simple as baking a quick square of vanilla cake cutting out your bone shapes and baking them again inside your chocolate cake. Go as simple or as fancy as you like with the decorations as the real surprise is on the inside. I used chocolate fingers for the fence around the outside and crushed Oreos make a fantastically realistic graveyard dirt on top.

For the zombie graveyard cake you'll need-
Pre-baked white cake- I used half of my favourite vanilla cake recipe.
Chocolate Cake mixture (recipe at end of post)
Chocolate buttercream (recipe at end of post)
1 packet chocolate biscuit fingers
1 packet Oreos (cream filling removed and cookies crushed)
Small amount of green, orange and grey fondant

Making the fondant toppers
To make the zombie arm roll out a small length of light green fondant and slightly flatten one end. Cut off the other end and gently insert a toothpick about halfway up the arm.

Cut four slices into the flattened fondant to form a hand, add on small details like finger nails and cuts and scrapes with a toothpick . Curve the fingers over something round and leave to dry out.

Brush the fondant hands with some cocoa and red luster dust for that real zombie skin look.

To make the Pumpkin, roll a small amount of orange fondant into a ball and press down in the center to flatten slightly.

With a toothpick or lining tool draw on the ridges on the side of the pumpkin. Add a little stem to the top.

 Cut some little gravestone shapes out of grey fondant and insert a toothpick into the base of each.

Making the Graveyard Cake

Cut bones out of white cake with a cookie cutter.

Arrange bones inside your prepared cake tin.

 Scoop chocolate cake mixture over the top of the cake bones and spread evenly.

Bake cake according to recipe. 

Once the cake has cooled transfer to plate or cake board.

Spread a the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate buttercream, it doesn't need to be super neat as its covered up anyway.

Trim some of the chocolate fingers to different lengths to make the fence. Press the chocolate fingers around the outside of the cake.

Spread a layer of Oreo dirt over the top of the cake. If you like you can add some more Oreo dirt around the base of the cake, use some leftover chocolate frosting to stick it down.

Arrange the zombie hands and tombstones on the top of the cake.

Enjoy!!

Easy Chocolate Cake
125 grams butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup milk

• Grease 6 inch round cake pan and line the base with baking paper.
• Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla to bowl of electric mixer, beat until combined.
• Add the flours, cocoa and the milk and beat on medium speed until smooth and lighter in colour.
• Spread into prepared pan and bake for around 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer into the middle comes out clean.
• Remove cake from oven, allow to cool 5 minutes before tuning out onto a wire rack. Cool top side up.

Chocolate Buttercream
90 grams butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons dark cocoa
2-3 tablespoons milk

• Beat the butter with mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add the icing sugar, cocoa and milk, beat until the icing is smooth and spreadable.

Haunted House Gift Boxes

I was browsing through the Halloween bits and pieces at a craft shop last week and picked up these really cute felt stickers in the shapes of ghosts and pumpkins  After a bit of thinking about how to use them I came up with this fun idea. I'm sure a lot of people will be giving away treats this halloween, or maybe tricks if they're a bit nasty, so why not package them up in a cute haunted house gift box.

The idea is taken from these Gingerbread House Treat Boxes I made for christmas last year. With a change of colour and some different decorations they make a perfect place to hide your spooky sweets this Halloween.

I've included the templates and a quick set of instructions, for the full step by step guide check out my Gingerbread House Treat Box instructions.

You'll need-

Grey card

Dark purple card

Light purple card

Scissors

Wavy scissors

Double sided tape

Felt stickers, Ghost and Pumpkins

Black felt tip pen 

To make the treat boxes- Print out both templates (they should be A4 size) and cut out the shapes.

Box Template

Roof Template

Lay the box template on the grey card and trace around the edges.

Cut out around the outline. Fold along the dotted lines.

Lay the roof template on the dark purple card and trace on the guidelines. Using the line as a guide cut around the outside edge with your wavy scissors. Use regular straight scissors to cut out the little bits in the middle. Fold along the fold lines. 

 To assemble the box attach some double sided tape to the inside edges of the front and back of the box. Stick the side tabs to the insides of the front and back of the box using the double sided tape.

For the roof use some double sided tape to secure the roof together in the middle.

Cut a 2cm by 6cm(approx) zigzag shape out of light purple card for the chimney. Make a 2cm long cut in the middle of one side of the roof, push the chimney rectangle through the cut so about 2cm of it sits inside the roof. Cut up the middle of the chimney that sits inside the roof and fold tabs in either direction. Fix inside the roof with double sided tape. Cut a door shape out of the light purple card and fix the front of the house with double sided tape.

Stick on a pumpkin and a ghost and tie with a ribbon. 

Spider Tarts (Mint Chocolate Tarts)

Oh no spiders have invaded my chocolate tarts! Don't be afraid, the outside might be scary but the inside is sweet. Just brush off the spiders and take a bite and you'll find these spooky tarts taste just like a mint slice cookie, which happen to be a favourite of mine.

These mint tarts will make a perfect Halloween dessert, or change the decorations and have them anytime. They are pretty easy to make and look a bit fancy with their glossy dark chocolate ganache tops.

Under the top layer of ganache hides my favourite part, the layer of spooky/sweet green white chocolate ganache is so yummy flavoured with peppermint. Served with a glass of milk/ spider venom these might just be my new number one dessert.

Mint Slice Spider Tarts  (full recipe at end of post)

For the Chocolate Base
125 grams plain flour
30 grams icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
70 grams cold butter (cubed)
1 egg yolk
2-3 teaspoons cold water

For the White Chocolate Mint Ganache
150 grams white chocolate
75 mls cream
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence
a few drops green food colouring

For the Dark Chocolate Ganache
150 grams dark chocolate
125 mls cream

1/3 cup white chocolate melts
plastic spiders to decorate

To make the tart base-  Add the flour, sugar, cocoa and butter into a food processor, process until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and cold water and process until you have a smooth dough.

Press the dough into a disk and wrap in cling wrap, place into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Grease five mini fluted tart tins with butter.

Divide the dough into 5 portions, roll each ball of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to about 1/2 cm thick. Line the prepared tart tins with the rolled dough and trim off the edges.

Chill the lined tart tins in the fridge for 15 minutes and preheat oven to 180 degrees c. Cover the uncooked pastry with baking paper and fill with dried rice or baking weights  Bake the tart bases for 10 minutes, remove the weights and paper and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until cooked through.  Allow to cool and prepare mint ganache.

To make the mint ganache- finely chop the white chocolate and add to a medium bowl.

Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Once the chocolate looks melted, after about a minute, stir until smooth. Stir in the mint flavouring and green colour.

Pour the green ganache into the cooled pastry shells and allow to set in the fridge for about 1 hour. (I was impatient and sped things up in the freezer, it worked out fine but keep an eye on it.) Toward the end of the hour make the dark chocolate ganache.

To make the dark chocolate ganache- finely chop the dark chocolate and add to a medium bowl.

Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for a minute and then stir until smooth.

Pour the chocolate ganache over the green ganache and allow to set in the fridge for 2 hours.

For the spider webs- add the white chocolate melts to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate 20 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted. Pour the chocolate into a fine tipped piping bag. Pipe a spider web on top of each of the tarts and finish with a plastic spider.

Enjoy!!

Mint Slice Spider Tarts makes 5 ( Based on recipe from Good Taste)

Chocolate Pastry Base
125 grams plain flour
30 grams icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
70 grams cold butter (cubed)
1 egg yolk
2-3 teaspoons cold water

• Add flour, sugar, cocoa and butter into a food processor, process until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. 
• Add the egg yolk and cold water and process until you have a smooth dough.
• Press dough into a disk and wrap in cling wrap, chill in fridge for 10 minutes. 
• Grease five mini fluted tart tins with butter.
• Divide the dough into 5 portions, roll each ball of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to about 1/2 cm thick. 
• Line the prepared tins with the rolled dough and trim edges.
• Chill the lined tart tins in the fridge for 15 minutes, preheat oven to 180 degrees c. 
• Cover the uncooked pastry with baking paper, fill with dried rice or baking weights.
•  Bake 10 minutes, remove the weights and paper and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until cooked through.  
• Allow to cool and prepare mint ganache.

White Chocolate Mint Ganache
150 grams white chocolate
75 mls cream
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence
a few drops green food colouring

•  Finely chop the white chocolate and add to a medium bowl.
• Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
•  Allow chocolate to melt for a minute, stir until smooth. 
• Stir in the mint flavouring and green colour.
• Pour the green ganache into the cooled pastry shells, set in the fridge for about 1 hour. 
• Toward the end of the hour make the dark chocolate ganache.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
150 grams dark chocolate
125 mls cream

• Finely chop the dark chocolate and add to a medium bowl.
• Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
• Allow to sit for a minute and then stir until smooth.
• Pour the chocolate ganache over the green ganache and set in the fridge for 2 hours

Spider Webs
1/3 cup white chocolate melts
plastic spiders to decorate

•  Add the white chocolate melts to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate 20 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted. 
• Pour the chocolate into a fine tipped piping bag. Pipe a spider web on top of each of the tarts. 
• Top with a plastic spider.

Candy Corn Cake

Its October again, how exciting!! A few reasons October is so rad, well there's boyfriend's birthday, my birthday, the awesome spring weather, flowers out the wazoo and its almost Halloween!!

This cake is a two birds with one stone kinda deal. It fits with this months Halloween theme, but was actually for boyfriend for his Birthday. Boyfriend is a big fan of candy corn, only true fans can eat candy corn to the point of feeling ill and still go back for more. So between his candy corn crush and October being the only real time we can get candy corn in Australia it was the perfect idea for a birthday cake.

I'm not sure what the actual flavour of candy corn is, to me its a bit buttery a bit caramelly so that's the flavour I went with for the cake. I used my favourite vanilla cake recipe and teamed it with some super sweet caramel buttercream.

This cake is candy corn inside and out. It is shaped and decorated like a giant candy corn outside and the layers of cake inside also match the candy's colours. I really love how the inside of the cake turned out and the best part, it was super yummy.

For a Candy Corn cake you'll need-
3 layers vanilla cake
caramel buttercream
1 kg ready made fondant
orange and yellow food colour gels

To make the Candy Corn Cake- 

Trace a candy corn triangle shape on a piece of paper making sure its not bigger than your cakes, cut out and use as a cutting template.

Trim the raised tops off the cake to get nice flat layers. Using your prepared template cut each layer of cake to shape. I saved the off-cuts for another project, but feel free to eat them.

Starting with the yellow layer of cake cut side up, spread with an even layer of buttercream. Sandwich on the orange layer of cake followed by another layer of buttercream. Lastly top with the white layer of cake with the cut side facing down.

Now that you have the coloured layers assembled cover the entire cake with a layer of buttercream and smooth out. Transfer the cake to a board or plate.

1 kg of ready made fondant roughly into thirds, colour one third yellow, one third orange and leave the last third white. Wrap the fondant with cling wrap when you are not using it to avoid it drying out.

Begin with the white fondant. Lightly dust your surface with icing sugar and roll the fondant out to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut a straight line down one side of your rolled fondant, this is where the colours will match up.

Drape the white fondant over the front of the cake about a third of the way up, smooth the top and then the sides. Try to keep the line roughly straight across the top and sides of the cake. Trim the excess fondant from the base.

Next step, the orange fondant. Roll the fondant to 1/4 inch thick and cut a straight line down 2 parallel sides.

Brush the straight edge of the white fondant with a small amount of  water.

Lay the orange fondant over the middle of the cake lining it up against the white fondant, smooth out the top and then the sides. While you are smoothing out the fondant, gently use your smoother to push together any gaps between the fondant colours. Trim of the excess fondant around the base.

Repeat again with the yellow fondant.

Smooth over the entire cake and neatly trim around the base.

Last of all attach candy corns randomly around the base of the cake with a little piped on excess buttercream.

There you have it a really cute Candy Corn Cake!!

For the Vanilla Cake (makes 3 8-inch cakes)

3/4  plus 1/3 cup milk 

7 egg whites 

3 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

4 cups cake flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/2 cup sugar

250 grams salted butter (softened)
yellow and orange food colour gels

To make the cake- Grease and flour three 8 inch square cake pans and preheat oven to 180 degrees c.

In a medium bowl combine the remaining 1/3 cup of milk, egg whites, vanilla extract and paste and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the softened butter and the 3/4 cup of milk and mix on low to prevent flour going everywhere. When the ingredients come together increase speed to medium and mix until smooth, about a minute and a half.

Add the egg and milk mixture one third at a time, beating on medium for about 20 seconds between each addition. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.

Divide the mixture evenly between 3 mixing bowls. Leave one bowl of cake mix uncoloured, colour the second bowl of cake mix yellow and the third bowl of cake mix orange.

Divide the cake mix between three prepared pans and smooth over the tops.

Place the cakes in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes keeping an eye on them toward the end to make sure they don't over cook. Test the middle of the cake with a metal skewer, if it comes out clean the cake is ready.

Allow cakes to cool in pans for about 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely. Cool top side up. While the cakes are cooling prepare the frosting.

Caramel Buttercream

2 3/4 cups icing sugar
115 grams softened butter (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup caramel sauce (I used store bought)

Place butter and syrup into stand mixer, mixing until pale and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating on low until combined. If the buttercream is to thick add a little more caramel sauce or if not thick enough a little more icing sugar.