Realfood.tesco.com/halloween

HALLOWEEN SLIME POPCORN

YOU WILL NEED: colouring

1 tbsp vegetable oil 70g white chocolate 75g popping corn buttons

200g white chocolate 1 tube black or dark 2 tsp green food chocolate writing icing

METHOD:

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the popping corn and cover with a tightfitting lid. Leave for 5 mins, shaking the pan a few times to prevent it from burning on the bottom, until all the corn is popped. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl with the green food colouring. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and has turned an even green colour throughout.

3. Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn in the pan and toss well to coat. Tip the slime-covered popcorn out onto the lined baking tray and spread out in an even layer. Leave for 45 mins – 1 hr for the chocolate to set.

4. Meanwhile, to make the eyes, lay the chocolate buttons flat on a plate or tray and add a dot of writing icing on top of each one. Leave to set until they are ready to serve.

5. To serve, transfer the set popcorn to serving bowls and top with the chocolate eyes.

DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE

45 MINS TO PREPARE AND 40 MINS TO COOK, PLUS COOLING

YOU WILL NEED: For the ganache: 270ml double cream 70g butter, cubed 3½ tbsp clear honey 270g dark chocolate, chopped

For the cake: 200g butter, plus

extra for greasing 75g cocoa powder 200g caster sugar 175g light muscovado sugar 1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs 100ml soured cream

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line 3 x 20cm sandwich cake tins with baking paper. Make the ganache by putting the double cream into a large pan over a medium heat. Bring just to the boil, then remove from the heat.

2. Add the butter, honey and chocolate and leave for 2 mins to melt, then stir until smooth. Set aside to cool and thicken, then store in the fridge until needed.

3. Meanwhile, put the cocoa powder for the cakes into a bowl and whisk in 275ml boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Stir the soured cream into the cooled cocoa powder mixture. Mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in another bowl. Fold a third of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, followed by a third of the cocoa mixture, continuing until everything is combined as a smooth batter.

335g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

To decorate (optional):

250g ready to roll coloured red icing

5. Divide the batter between the 3 tins and smooth the surface of each. Bake for 25-30 mins or until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

6. To assemble, remove the ganache from the fridge – it should be thick enough to spread over the cakes, but if too stiff, stir briefly to loosen. Put one cake on a serving plate and spread over a quarter of the ganache. Top with the second cake and another quarter of the ganache. Finish with the third cake and spread the remaining ganache over the top and down the sides of the cake.

7. To decorate, take a pack of ready-to-roll red icing and divide in half. Cut one piece in half again and shape into 2 pointy devil horns. Push into the top of the cake to secure in place. Take a third of the remaining icing and form into a triangle. Roll the rest into a long rope shape and wrap around from the back of the cake to the front for the tail, pressing into the cake to secure. Add the triangle to the tail, then cut into slices to serve.