so yesterday our halloween prep started, when mr HPMcQ brought home a pumpkin. we got our carve on. however this just wetted ronnie’s appetite for more halloween preparations and he wanted even more pumpkins, so when he’d gone to bed i popped out and snuck two more into the living room, ready as a surprise in the morning.
two guesses to what we did today whilst waiting for the storm to arrive? yup we carved some more pumpkins! oh and baked up some spider cupcakes too.
may i introduce the pumpkin family
we used a basic chocolate cup cake recipe and butter cream from primrose bakery, the delightful people who made the cakes for our wedding.
you will need the following to make around 24 cup cakes
– 115g 70% dark chocolate
– 85g unsalted butter
– 175g soft brown sugar
– 2 large eggs
– 185g sifted plain flour
– 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
– 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
– pinch of salt 250ml semi skimmed milk
– 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly
cream the butter and the sugar together until smooth
in a separate bowl beat the egg yolks, and then slowly add to the creamed mixture and beat well. then add the melted chocolate and beat well again
combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together. pour the milk into a jug and add the vanilla. sift in a third of the flour into the chocolate mixture and beat well. then add a third of the milk and beat again. repeat until all the flour and milk have been added
in a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and then carefully fold into the mixture. use a metal spoon and do not beat
spoon into your cases to about two-thirds and cook in a pre-heated oven 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5 or 170 if using a fan oven, for around 20-25 minutes
topped them with a spot of chocolate butter cream
– 175g 70% dark chocolate
– 225g unsalted butter
– 1 tablespoon semi-skimmed milk
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 250g icing sugar
melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly
in a separate bowl beat together the butter, milk, vanilla extract and sifted icing sugar until smooth
add the melt chocolate and beat again
then stuck in some legs on sticks and some googlie eyes, boosh halloween spiders!
Oh I’m so jealous of your little pumpkin family.Those cakes do look scrumptious!
ronnie keeps asking for more of them, worried about how many we will have by thursday!
Beautiful pumpkin pics! Love the look of the cakes too, got any left?!?! 😀
for you emma, i always have cake x