Devil Food Halloween traybake cake
Devilishly chocolatey and indulgent, this devil's food traybake cake is easy peasy to make. This spooky Halloween cake is decorated with a simple but effect spider web effect. Perfect for a Halloween party.
Servings: 16
Equipment
- roasting tin or rectangular cake tin approx 20x30cm(8x12in)
- Electric hand whisk
- palette knife
- small paper piping bag
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 75 g cocoa powder (3oz)
- 200 g butter (7oz) plus extra for greasing
- 200 g caster sugar (7oz)
- 175 g light muscovado sugar (6oz)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 100 ml soured cream (3½floz)
- 350 g plain flour (12oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
For the ganache:
- 275 g dark chocolate (10oz) chopped
- 75 g butter (3oz) cubed
- 50 g golden syrup (2oz)
- 300 ml double cream (½pt)
To complete:
- approx 25 g white chocolate broken into pieces (1oz)
- candy spiders
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan)/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a roasting tin with baking paper.
- Meanwhile, put (75g) cocoa powder into a small bowl and slowly stir in 275ml (9½fl oz) boiling water, mix to a smooth paste. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the 200g butter,200g caster sugar and 175g light muscovado sugar until pale and fluffy then beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- Add 3 eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Then fold in 100ml soured cream.
- Sift 350g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda together. Fold half the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, followed by half the cocoa mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour and cocoa mixture until everything is combined to form a smooth cake batter.
- Pour into the prepared baking tin and spread level. Bake for 25-30 mins or until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
To make the gnacahe
- Meanwhile, make the ganache. Place 275g chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl with 75g cubed butter and 50g golden syrup.
- Heat 300ml double cream in a saucepan stirring until it just comes to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter and stir until the chocolate and butter has melted to form a smooth ganache. Set aside to cool and thicken. It should be thick enough to spread over the cake, pop into the refrigerator if required.
To complete
- Melt about 25g white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Spoon into a small paper piping bag. When ready to pipe snip off a little bit of the tip.
- Pour the dark chocolate ganache over the top of cake and spread evenly to coat the cake with a palette knife.
- Pipe the white chocolate spider web – Pipe concentric circles offset from the centre of the cake and continue the incomplete rings to cover the top of the cake. Working quickly, use a skewer or the tip of a knife to drag lines through the chocolate ganache from the center of the circles outwards to form a cobweb like effect.
- Decorate with candy spiders
- To serve, the cake can be served cut into squares staright from the tin. Alternatively carefully lift the cake out of tin and transfer to a serving platter.
Notes
Cook's tip:
If the cake peaks in the middle, use a large serrated knife and trim the top of the cake to level before adding the ganache.
If serving the cake straight from the tin there is no need to line the tin first.
Store
The cake will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an air tight container in a cool place.
Freeze
Cake only – Cool completely. Wrap well in baking paper and clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months.