PRINT RECIPE
- 100g Whitworths Sunshine Sultanas
- 300g plain flour
- 135g caster sugar
- 160g light brown sugar
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 40 ml whole milk
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 180g fresh pumpkin, grated
- FOR THE TOPPING
- 4 (50g) Whitworths Stoned Sayer Dates
- 50g pretzel sticks, cut into 32 short pieces
- mini marshmallows, to decorate
- 50g apricot jam
- 250g ready to roll orange coloured icing block
- 1 large bag milk chocolate buttons
- 1 black tube piping icing
- Preheat your oven to 140⁰C / Fan 120⁰C / Gas Mark 2 then line a large rectangular tin (approx 21x29cm).
- Mix the flour, caster sugar, brown sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly to ensure all lumps have dispersed.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, milk and sunflower oil together, until a little frothy then add to the flour mix.
- Add the pumpkin and sultanas then stir well.
- Pour into your prepared tin then bake in the centre of your oven for 50-55 minutes until golden brown. To check the cake is cooked simply insert a skewer into the centre - if it comes out clean then it’s cooked.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack - have the base of the cake to the top to give you a flatter surface to decorate - then leave to cool completely.
- Meanwhile make your spiders... set aside 8 of the chocolate buttons to finish the top with then melt two thirds in a microwave or over a pan of boiling water until smooth and runny. Remove from the heat then stir in the remaining third.
- One at a time dip each date into the chocolate with a fork until fully coated. Shake off any excess chocolate then place onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, before the chocolate has fully set add on marshmallow eyes and pretzel legs. Repeat for the other 3 dates.
- When your cake has cooled completely, roll out the icing to the same size as your tin (use your tin as a template).
- Spread the jam over the top of the cake then lay over the rolled out icing.
- Using a fine nozzle draw a spider web design with the black piping icing, arrange the set aside chocolate buttons on the edges then carefully place the spiders in the web.