With only a few weeks to go until Halloween I have come up with a couple of simple, deliciously spooky bakes that should put a smile on any little monster’s face.
Gingerbread Skeletons
Ingredients
- 125 g butter
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 50 g dark brown muscovado sugar
- 2 tbs golden syrup
- 1 tbsp treacle
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 300 g plain flour
Instructions
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Sieve the ginger, bicarbonate of soda and flour into a large bowl.
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Melt the butter, sugars, syrup and treacle in a saucepan, then stir into the dry ingredients.
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When the mixture has come together, roll out between two sheets of baking parchment, to about 5mm thick. Place on a baking tray and leave in the fridge to chill for approximately 20 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Use a large gingerbread man cutter to cut approximately ten cookies. Place the cookies on a lined baking tray and bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to darken.
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Once the cookies have cooled, pipe royal icing bones and faces on the cookies, and allow to set.
Chocolate Ghost Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 115 g unsalted butter softened
- 115 g caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g self raising flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs beaten
- For the buttercream:
- 85 g butter softened
- 35 g cocoa powder
- 250 g icing sugar
- 40 ml milk
To decorate:
- white sugarpaste/fondant icing
- 10 x lollipops
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
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Preheat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper muffin cases.
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Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar, along with the vanilla extract, until pale and fluffy.
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Sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the two beaten eggs and mix well, taking care to stop once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
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Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases, and bake for 22-25 minutes.
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For the buttercream: Rub the softened butter into the sieved icing sugar and cocoa powder using the back of a wooden spoon. Add the milk. Once the icing sugar has been incorporated, whisk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
To decorate:
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Pipe the chocolate buttercream on top of each cupcake and insert a lollipop into the middle.
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Cut 10 x 10cm dia circles of sugarpaste and place on top of each lollipop, using your fingers to shape into a ghost. Pipe eyes onto the ghosts using black royal icing or a little of the chocolate buttercream.
