It’s love at first bite: Bake your own Spider’s web cake

Forget sweets this Halloween. Why not let your trick or treaters sink their teeth into a devilishly delicious slice of this spider’s web cake instead?

Perfect as a front door fancy or a Halloween dinner party dessert, any recipient of this boo-tiful cake will keep coming back for more.

As standard, this recipe serves 15. But, of course, you can also cut up smaller slices ready to serve on your doorstep.

And you can make it a truly delightful eating experience when paired with an Arthur Price pastry fork.

Ready to get baking? Check out the ravishing recipe below…

Ingredients

For the cake

• 170g white caster sugar
• 170g light brown soft sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 110g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 140ml chocolate stout
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 100g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
• 280g plain flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt

For the white chocolate buttercream

• 3 large egg whites
• 240g caster sugar
• 360g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 200g white chocolate, melted and cooled

To decorate

• 100g mini marshmallows (white)
• 25g black sugar paste

Method

For the cake

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Grease three 20cm round cake tins and line the bottoms with baking paper.
2. Combine the cocoa powder with 280ml of boiling water in a bowl. Whisk until the cocoa is completely dissolved.
3. Pour in the stout, give it a good mix and then set it aside to cool.
4. Using a stand mixer or a large bowl and an electric hand whisk, beat together the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes.
5. Gradually add the eggs, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. Once all the eggs are in, spoon in the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
7. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture a third at a time, alternating with the runny stout mixture (which will be very runny).
8. Pour the batter equally into the prepared tins and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
9. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream

1. Place the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir with a whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch.
2. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat with an electric hand whisk on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and has cooled down.
3. Gradually add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, while continuing to whisk. Once all the butter has been incorporated, the mixture should look glossy and thick. If not, keep whisking until it does, or if the bowl still feels warm, chill for 10 minutes before whisking again.
4. Finally, mix in the melted white chocolate.
5. To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cake stand and top with a layer of buttercream. Repeat with the other two layers. Spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake, using a spatula or palette knife to smooth the sides.
6. Chill for 1 hour or until the buttercream is firm.

For the decoration

1. Melt the marshmallows in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from the heat and set it aside for a few minutes until the mixture is cool enough to handle.
3. Use your fingers to grab a small amount of the marshmallow and stretch it out to form long strands (dipping your fingers in vegetable or sunflower oil will help).
4. Drape the strands over the cake in a random pattern, making sure it’s thoroughly covered.
5. You can also create a spider using the sugar paste (roll two balls, one bigger than the other, for the body and thin strands for the legs) and place it on top of the cake.

And then, all that’s left to do is dig in! The cake will keep for up to three days in an airtight container. Cut the perfect piece with an Arthur Price cake knife and serve up your slices with an Arthur Price cake server.

Make sure to share any of your spooky bakes and cakes with us on social media. Find us on Facebook (Arthur Price Official) and Instagram (@arthurprice1902).