Halloween Chocolate Butterscotch Fudge Cake Recipe

This cake has become a firm family favourite particularly with my niece Daisy and Eileen of course! It’s so easy to make and works so well for almost any occasion. I chose to publish this special Rachel Bates recipe now as it makes a perfect addition to the menu for my sophisticated Halloween theme this year. Here's how to make this delicious cake at home.

Equipment

3 Oblong Advanced Silicone Cake Moulds (or whatever shape takes your fancy in approximately the same size) I use the following size - 22cm x 33cm (inner dimensions 18.5cm x 27.5cm)
Kitchen Aid/electric mixer with a paddle attachment
Food Processor
Rubber Spatula
Wooden Spoon
Large Glass
Tablespoon
Bain-Marie (suitable for the hob or you can make your own using a pan and a suitable heatproof bowl)
1 medium-large pan
Cooling wires
Silver & Gold Lustre Sprays or edible glitter
Halloween Cake Toppers & Decorations
Greaseproof baking paper, tin foil, cling film and labels

Ingredients

Cake

• 300g sifted self-raising flour
• 300g softened unsalted butter
• 300g sugar made up of – 150g golden caster sugar and 150g dark soft brown sugar combined.
• 6 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence or vanilla extract
• 200g Green & Blacks butterscotch chocolate
• 100ml double cream

Chocolate Butterscotch Topping

• 1 x 375g tin of sweetened condensed milk
• 200g softened unsalted butter
• 200ml double cream
• 300g Green & Blacks butterscotch chocolate
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence or vanilla extract

Cake Method

Baking time: 25 – 35 minutes 

1. Set fan oven to pre-heat to 180℃
2. Break the chocolate into chunks and place in food processor and grind to a fine bread-crumb-like consistency.
3. Add to your chocolate to your Bain-Marie on the hob with the cream and melt stirring over a low to medium heat until all is nicely melted and combined and remove from the heat and leave to cool.
4. Beat the butter and sugar in your food mixer until the consistency is pale and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time on a low mixer speed. By the time you have added all six eggs, your mixture may look as though it has curdled a little, but do not lose heart, it’s actually fine and will revert to normal with the adding of the final ingredients.
6. Add the chocolate and cream mix and the sifted flour, cocoa powder and the vanilla extract and fold in slowly on a low setting with your electric mixer, the cake mixture should now look perfect and smooth and chocolatey!
7. Divide the mixture equally into thirds in your silicone bakeware.
8. Place in your preheated oven and back for 25-35 minutes depending on your oven. In my oven, the sponges are usually perfect after 25 minutes. I would suggest setting your cooking timer or mobile timer to 25 minutes and then place back in the oven if they need a little longer and check at 30 and 35 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven leave to cool on cooling wires.

Chocolate Butterscotch Topping Method

1. Break the chocolate into chunks and place in food processor and grind to a fine bread-crumb-like consistency.
2. Then take all the ingredients and add to the pan – sweetened condensed milk, softened butter, double cream, blended chocolate butterscotch chocolate and vanilla essence and stir constantly over a low to medium heat until a delicious, smooth, thick, glossy chocolate sauce is formed. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
3. Once the chocolate fudge mixture has cooled it will have thickened slightly and will be easier to work with.
4. Place each of the 3 cakes on suitable small baking trays lined with aluminium foil and greaseproof paper in order to catch excess chocolate topping that will run off the cake as the topping is added.
5. Using a tablespoon and a palate knife spoon the mixture over the cakes (one at a time) and smooth the topping with the palette knife.
6. I like to use silver and gold edible glitter to sprinkle over the chocolate topping and finish the surface off with a subtle, glittery shimmer.
7. Place in the fridge to set.
8. Store in the fridge in a click-safe box or the like and remove around 15 minutes before serving to allow the cake to warm up to room temperature.
9. To serve, I like to cut into neat squares or rectangles depending on how it’s being served. It works beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a pudding or decorated with a pair of witches leg cake toppers. (You can get great cake toppers here!)

Extra storage and serving tips

• This sponge can be made in advance and frozen until required. Ensure you wrap it well in grease proof paper and tin foil and then seal parcel with cling film to ensure the cake is fully sealed and protected whilst in the freezer. Always label the cake and date it so that you know what it is when looking for it in the freezer and when it was made and frozen.
• When you are ready to use the cake, remove it from the freezer and leave it to defrost at room temperature. Whilst the sponge is defrosting you can make your chocolate butterscotch topping and allow it to cool on one side whilst the cake defrosts and then follow steps 4 -9 in the method above.
• I often complete the cakes fully to method point 7 and then wrap once chilled overnight in the fridge and freeze two of the cakes for a future date and leave one in the fridge for the family. If you are freezing at this stage, please make sure you wrap well as in point 1 above. But ensure that the top wrapping is elevated above the cake and not flat to its surface.
• If you do this defrost slowly in the fridge and before you serve you may need to add some extra glitter!

Enjoy!

Love RB xx