Halloween Cocktails

So when thebar.com challenged me to create a cake recipe based on one of their cocktails, I jumped at the chance. I thrive on a challenge, and absolutely love Halloween, so this combo was perfect. Some of my favourite recipes recently have been my take on classic drinks, and they always seem to go down well with my tame tribe of cake testers.

They gave me a list to pick from, all of which sounded right up my street to be honest, but I changed my mind on the last minute from a Zombie bundt to a Smirnoff Ghoul's Goblet. The ingredients in this drink lend themselves perfectly to a delicious cake. Vodka and ginger with a citrus twist are my idea of cocktail perfection. 

If you want to make the drink version, I've added a link to the recipe above, however if you would rather stuff your face with cake, follow this instead... (my personal recommendation would be to do both). This recipe is the right size for a standard bundt tin, or two 2lb loaf tins, however I urge you to find one of the spooky options out there like my 3D skull tin! These are available from Nordicware. 

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter
• 100g of vegetable fat 
• 650g golden caster sugar
• 6 medium eggs
• 450g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of half an orange
• 200ml Schweppes ginger ale
• 50ml Smirnoff vodka
• 5 tbsp shredless marmalade
• Jelly worms, snakes or laces to decorate - the choice is yours!

Method

1. Grease and flour a regular sized bundt tin (2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch - or see options explained above).
2. Soften the butter and vegetable fat and then cream in the sugar in stages.
3. Add the eggs one at a time on a slow setting.
4. Add all the remaining dry ingredients to a large bowl.
5. Add the zests and the vodka to the ginger ale, and give it a good stir.
6. Sift in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the liquid. Repeat until all the flour and liquid is used up. Fold it in gently...
7. Tip: at this stage it will look like death. Breathe... it will all magically work when whizzed up.
8. Give the whole thing a quick mix for about 10 seconds or until well combined. It will no longer look like a zombie threw it up.
9. Spoon the mix into the prepared tin and give it a good whack on the worktop. Because the cake has fizzy stuff in, it will hold a lot of air bubbles. Too many may mean the tin design is lost.
10. Bake at gas 3/160 C for about 2 hours. Just turn it after about an hour and a half.
11. It should be shrinking from the sides and a skewer should come out clean.
12. Let it cool in the tin for ten minutes then turn it out. 
13. Allow to cool fully before glazing. 
14. To make the glaze, warm the marmalade in the microwave until runny - keep an eye on it though, and do not touch it! It'll be hotter than hell... Brush it over your cake for a lovely orange flavoured glaze.
15. Surround your creation with as many jelly worms, fake bats, top hats or spiders as you see fit. 

Disclaimer: This post was written in conjunction with thebar.com.