Recipe Weekend: Halloween Bat Cake Will Make Your Halloween Party Rock Tonight!

And now for a great recipe, that will awe you Halloween party goers, 

courtesy of our favorite publishers, Parragon Books!

Serves 8 

 Prep time: 1 hr 10 mins, plus time to cool & chill ,

Cooking time: 1 hr 25 mins–1 hr 45 mins

Ingredients

Black cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 stick butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon black food coloring paste or gel

Spiced cake
1 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ sticks butter, softened,
plus extra for greasing
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed
light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon allspice

To decorate
1 quantity cream cheese frosting

You will also need
9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan
bat-shape cookie cutter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.
2. To make the black cake for the bats, put the fl our, baking powder, butter, sugar, and eggs into a large bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1–2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Beat in the black food coloring.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and level the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, or until risen, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Turn off the oven. Clean the pan, then grease and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.
4. When the cake is completely cold, use a serrated knife to cut it into ten even slices. Arrange cut side down on a board and place in the freezer for about 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F.
6. To make the spiced cake, put all the ingredients into a large bowl and beat together with a handheld electric mixer for 1–2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Spoon about half the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to angle the batter up one side of the pan.
7. Use a bat-shape cookie cutter to stamp out ten bat shapes from the chilled black cake slices.
8. Arrange the bat shapes along the length of batter in the cake pan, making sure the slices line up at the same angle and are as close together as possible.
9. Spoon the remaining spiced cake batter into the pan, spooning it around and over the bat shapes to cover them completely. Gently level the surface.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes– 1 hour 5 minutes, or until the cake is risen and golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
11. To decorate, use a spatula to spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cold cake.

Recipe from Love Food cookbook Hidden Surprise Cakes.!