Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Serves: 10
Ingredients
To decorate
1 egg white
50g icing sugar
200ml single cream
200g dark chocolate , finely chopped
125g rich tea finger biscuits
100g double chocolate cookies
25g white chocolate
silver balls , to decorate
For the cake
85g cocoa powder
200g self-raising flour
375g light brown muscovado sugar
4 eggs
200ml milk
175ml vegetable oil
Method
Step 1
To make the ghosts, heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼. Whip
the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the
sugar a tbsp at a time and keep whisking for a couple of mins
until the mixture is thick and resembles shaving foam. Gently
spoon the mixture into a large freezer bag, then cut a 1.5cm hole
in one of the corners. Cover a baking sheet with some baking
parchment. Carefully squeeze a small circle of whipped egg white
out of the bag, pulling upwards as you do to make a ghost shape.
Repeat until the mixture is used up – you should get about 15
ghosts. Bake for 1½ hrs until crisp. Can be stored in an airtight
container for up to 2 days.
Step 2
Now make the cake. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the
cocoa powder, self-raising flour and sugar into a large bowl,
breaking up any clumps of sugar. Mix together the eggs, milk and
oil in a measuring cup or bowl, then pour over the dry ingredients
and stir everything together until smooth. Grease and line a deep
baking dish (20 x 30 x 5cm) with baking parchment. Pour in the
cake mixture and bake for 30 mins. Leave to cool, then turn out
onto a serving plate. Alternatively, wrap well and store for up to 2
days.
Step 3
Finish decorating the cake: heat cream in a saucepan until just
boiling. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the
hot cream. Stir until the chocolate melts. Use a clean brush to
paint a layer of chocolate over 7 rich tea finger biscuits, then set
aside to cool. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the cake
and smooth over with a knife. Whizz the chocolate cookies, or
bash in a freezer bag with a rolling pin, until small crumbs form.
Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Step 4
Place the white chocolate in a small bowl, set over a pan of
simmering water. Leave for 5 mins or until melted, then spoon
into a small freezer bag. Wait for 10 mins so the mixture is not
too runny, then cut a tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out 2
small blobs onto each ghost, place a silver ball on each to make
eyes, then pipe out suitable words and shapes on the
gravestones. Leave for 30 mins to set, then push the biscuit
gravestones into the cake and arrange the ghosts around. To get
the ghosts to ‘fly’, push a thin wire (you can get these from a
florist shop – remember to remove before eating) into the bottom
of the ghost, then place in the cake, hiding the wire behind a
gravestone.
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