Name: Spooky spider cakes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 12
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200g butter at room temperature; 200g golden caster sugar; 200g self-raising flour; 4 eggs; ½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 6 tbsp chocolate chips or chopped chocolate; 2 packs liquorice Catherine wheels; 12 tbsp Nutella or other chocolate spread; liquorice allsorts (the black ones with the white centre); tube black writing icing; 1 length red bootlace

200g butter
at room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
200g self-raising flour
4 eggs
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp chocolate chips
or chopped chocolate

To decorate

2 packs liquorice
Catherine wheels
12 tbsp Nutella
or other chocolate spread
liquorice
allsorts (the black ones with the white centre)
tube black writing icing
1 length red bootlace

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line a muffin tin with 12 cases, preferably brown ones. Put the butter, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Break the eggs into a smaller bowl, taking care not to get any shell into it, then tip on top of the butter mixture.
step 2
Add the baking powder and vanilla to the larger bowl, then beat with an electric hand whisk until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate drops or chocolate. Spoon the cake mixture evenly into the cases and bake for 20-25 mins until golden – a cocktail stick pushed into the middle of one of the cakes should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
step 3
To decorate the cakes, unravel the liquorice wheels and cut into lengths with scissors to make dangly legs. Stick 8 into the top of each cake, making small cuts with the tip of a sharp knife so they push in really securely.
step 4
Spoon the chocolate spread on top and spread lightly within the liquorice legs to make a round spider’s body. Now cut the Allsorts to make eyes and the red bootlaces to make mouths, then stick them onto the cakes and dot on the icing to make eyeballs. Will keep for up to 2 days in a cool place.