Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups slightly salted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups light muscovado sugar
  • 6 medium eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/3 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 7 oz plain chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 oz white chocolate, chopped
  • 1 None battery powered tealight
  • 3 tbsp small black candies or chopped liquorice
  • None None small plastic halloween figures, to decorate

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 15 x 12 inch shallow baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour into the pan and level the surface. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until risen and just firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan.
  • Cut off about a quarter of the cake and place the larger piece on a serving tray or board, lined with a black doily if desired. Cut out several tombstone shapes from the smaller piece of cake. Crumble the trimmings and reserve.
  • Melt the plain chocolate with the coconut oil. Spread the 'tombstones' with the melted plain chocolate and leave to set on parchment paper. Melt the white chocolate and put into a paper piping bag. Snip off a small tip and use white chocolate to pipe accent decorations on the tombstones then allow to set.
  • Secure the tombstones to the cake with extra melted chocolate. If necessary, support them by pushing wooden toothpicks down into the cake behind the tombstones.
  • Position the tealight in front of one of the tombstones and pile the cake crumbs around it. Scatter additional crumbs around the other tombstones. Arrange the candies on the cake to resemble a path. Decorate with plastic Halloween figures.