Spooky zebra-striped spiderweb cake
A perfect treat for any Halloween party
Forget about tricks this year and just skip to the treats! My zebra cake is the ultimate spooky-sweet hit for any Halloween party.
To get that festive black-andwhite-striped effect, alternate placing ice-cream scoopfuls of chocolate and vanilla batter into the centre of a springform pan.
Topped with chocolate ganache festively decorated with web-like icing, I guarantee none of your guests will ghost before dessert is done. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Butter an 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture lightens and forms a ribbon. Add the oil in a thin stream.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly into two separate bowls. Whisk the cocoa powder into one of the bowls.
With an ice-cream scoop, pour 3 tbsp (45 ml) of the chocolate batter in the centre of the springform pan and allow it to spread for about 20 seconds. With the second ice-cream scoop, pour the same amount of vanilla batter in the centre of the chocolate batter. Again, allow to spread for about 20 seconds. Repeat these two steps alternately until all the batter has been used. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool. Unmould from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Chocolate Ganache
In a bowl, pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of hot 35% cream over 3 oz (85 g) of chopped semisweet chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Spread the ganache on the cake, letting it slightly run down the sides.
Spiderweb Icing
Prepare a white royal icing and make a spiderweb-like icing. In a bowl, combine 1 cup (130 g) of icing sugar with about 1 tbsp (15 ml) water.
With a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, apply a spiral of icing on the ganache. From the centre of the spiral, drag the tip of a knife outward to form a spiderweb.
Makes 10 servings.