Wickedly good bakes! Vampire Tears Candle Cake
Whip up one of these spooky showstoppers to impress at home
This is a straightforward recipe and perfect for a centrepiece dessert. The cake base is Red Velvet. A little tip to get darker buttercream: make it the day before and it darkens with time.
SERVES 6–8 SPONGE
285g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda [baking soda]
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 1/2 tbsp red food colour 1 tsp vanilla extract 115g unsalted butter, at room temperature 300g caster sugar 2 large eggs 240ml buttermilk
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
225g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature 55g salted butter, at room temperature 360g icing sugar
50g black or regular cocoa powder
Black food colour
TO DECORATE
340g red Candy Melts 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil Black birthday candles
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C fan [350°F/gas mark 4] and line a 23 x 33cm [9 x 13-in] baking tray – the kind you would use for a Swiss roll
– with baking paper.
2 For the sponge, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3 In a smaller bowl, mix the cocoa powder, red food colour and vanilla extract to form a thick paste. Set aside.
4 Cream the butter and caster sugar together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, and continue mixing until fully incorporated. 5 Add the cocoa and food colour paste and mix, making sure to scrape down the sides and base of the bowl. Add half the buttermilk and mix in, then add half the flour mixture and mix in, then repeat with the rest of the buttermilk and flour. Add the vinegar, then increase the speed to high and mix until everything is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer stuck into the middle comes out clean.
6 Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. Mix the cream cheese and butter together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Turn the speed to low and add the icing sugar, a little at a time. Add the cocoa powder and enough black food colour to get the right shade.
7 When the cake is ready and cool, level it with a serrated knife, then cut out 6 circles with a 10cm [4-in] diameter cookie cutter.
8 Assemble the first candle by layering and icing the first 3 circles of cake. Smooth the frosting around the sides with a palette knife and insert a skewer in the centre to keep it stable. Repeat using 2 circles of cake to make a shorter candle, then use the final circle to make a candle that has been very burnt down. Don’t smooth the tops as candles dip in the middle. Chill the assembled cakes in the fridge for 45 minutes.
9 Melt the Candy Melts according to the packet instructions or in the microwave at 30-second intervals, then mix in 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil to loosen it a little.
10 Pour into a piping bag and drip over the candles. Leave it to set, then repeat the process. The more times you repeat the process the fuller the ‘wax’ will look.
11 Insert a birthday candle in the middle of each cake and light before serving.
Moon Witch Blackberry Pie
This pie can easily be made vegan by using shop-bought non-butter shortcrust pastry instead, and brushing the pastry with vegan milk. If in season, I highly recommend picking your own blackberries. There’s something rather special about foraging your ingredients from the wild and magically transforming them into a sweet treat.
SERVES 6–8
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp icing sugar
225g unsalted butter, cut into cubes 4-5 tbsp ice-cold water
1 egg yolk, for brushing
FILLING
800g fresh blackberries
100g caster sugar, plus extra if needed 1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground almonds
1 Pulse the flour, salt and icing sugar in a food processor a couple of times to mix together. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively, do this with your hands).
2 Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture forms large clumps and holds together when you press it. Dust your work surface with flour and tip the dough out on to it. Knead it a couple of times to bring it together. Form into a ball, flatten it, cover in clingfilm [plastic wrap] and refrigerate while you make the filling.
3 For the filling, combine the blackberries, sugar, cornflour, lemon juice and cinnamon and leave for 15 minutes.
4 Preheat the oven to 170°C fan [375°F/gas mark 5]. You will need a 23cm [9-in] pie dish.
5 Divide the pastry into 2 portions, one slightly bigger for the base of the dish. Roll out the larger piece on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm [1/8in] thickness and use it to line the pie dish. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate while you make the top. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out a flying witch silhouette, a crescent moon and some little stars using a paper template. You can cut out other shapes, if you like.
6 Sprinkle the ground almonds over the base of the pie and top with the blackberry mixture. Top with the cutout shapes and brush them with the egg yolk. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. If the top is cooking quicker than the bottom, cover with foil. Serve hot.