Spooky pumpkin spider cakes

This is a delicious spicy cake, perfect for Hallowe'en. I made twenty small ones , doubling this recipe. And especially good if you decorate with scary images - in this case spiders.

The original recipe was American, you can find it here https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-pumpkin-cake/, so I have amended it and reduced the sugar and added the spiders!

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 240 gms softened butter

• 4 eggs

• 100gms brown sugar

• 50gms granulated sugar

• 425 gms cooked butternut pumpkin, drained on kitchen paper, then pureed

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 225gms cream cheese, softened to room temperature

• 115gms softened unsalted butter,

• 400 gms icing sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed

• 1/2 squeezed lemon

Spiders

• Chocolate freckles

• Queen glamour and sparkle mix, or silver balls ( pearls)

• Piping bag with very fine piping nozzle

• Chocolate icing: Melt 125 gms dark chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of hot water. When it is melted take off heat and stir in 30gms of butter.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line a 22 in cake tin, or like I have done, make individual mini loaves ( Makes 12)

2. Cook the pumpkin in a pan of water. Drain and dry on kitchen paper.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and other spices together in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat the butter and sugar until pale. Add the eggs one by one. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla extract together until combined. It will be very liquid. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine.

4. Spread batter into the prepared pan/s. Bake for 30-36 minutes, or 20 mins if using a small loaves tin. The cake is done when a skewer inserted comes out clean.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool and turn out.

6. Put the chocolate icing in the piping bag, and pipe two eyes on each chocolate freckle.

7. With a pair of tweezers put a silver or gold pearl on each 'eye'. Leave to set.

8. Mix the icing and smooth on the cooled cakes with a spatula dipped in hot water.

9. Place a freckle on each individual cake or in an arrangement on your big cake, leaving room for the 'legs.'

10. Pipe the eight legs onto each spider, and leave to set.

Have a great Hallowe'en