Halloween Cupcakes

Cupcake idea for the spooky season! 

THE RECIPE

Large Vanilla Cupcakes

(16 large cupcakes - muffin cases)
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with an electric whisk.

2. Spoon mixture into cases and put in oven for 25mins (check at 20mins to make sure they aren't too brown).

3. Leave to cool and decorate!

BUTTERCREAM ICING

150g butter (leave out of fridge before using to soften) 

350g icing sugar

1tbsp vanilla extract

A few drops of green food colouring

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl and add butter, mix together with a wooden spoon until soft.

2. Mix in colouring and vanilla extract

3. Pipe or spoon buttercream icing onto cakes.

The bats...

Get some black regal using and a bat shaped cutter! (Bit of a cheat but makes it super easy!)

Enjoy!

Toffee Squares

These are so yummy!
Toffee sponge topped with a sticky caramel sauce. 

 

THE RECIPE

Toffee Squares
(makes approx 20 squares - depending on how big you cut them!)

150g pitted dates (chopped roughly)
125ml cold water
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g butter (left out of fridge for a while so soft)
150g light muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g self-raising flour
Caramel toffee sauce (I used half a jar)

This is a tray bake so you'll need a shallow wide tin to bake in - or 2x small square cake tins!

1. Preheat oven to 180, lightly grease tin and line bottom with greaseproof paper.

2. Place chopped dates in a pan and add the cold water.  Heat on the hob and bring to the boil.  Then remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda, the mixture will fizz! Stir slightly and leave to cool.

3. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together (I used an electric hand whisk for this), continue until mixed together creating a light mixture.  Whisk the eggs and add to mixture, followed by the vanilla extract. Whisk all of this together until you get an even mixture. 

4. Using a metal spoon, mix in the flour and then the date mixture.  You will have quite a wet mix.  Pour the mixture into the tin and even out the top slightly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cake has risen and has a slightly dark top. 

5. Allow cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minute then remove the cake and place onto a cooling rack, be careful to avoid breaking the sponge! Once cake is cool, cut into squares and then use a dinner knife to add caramel topping to each one. 

Happy baking! x