Chocolate and Marshmellow Ghost Cakes

If you’re organising a Hallowe’en party, these little cakes are something special.  Light and fluffy marshmellow icing makes a change from the bog-standard butter cream and gives them the airy feel that one would expect from a ghost – just like Marshmellow Man in Ghostbusters!  (love that film!)

Ingredients

For the chocolate sponge

• 100g butter, softened
• 160g light brown sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medium eggs
• 160g self-raising flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 125ml milk

For the marshmallow ghost icing

• 250g/9oz sugar
• 120g golden syrup
• 4 free-range eggs, whites only
• Decorations for eyes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170c/150c FAN/Gas Mk 3
2. Line the cupcake tin with cases
3. In a large electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together with the vanilla extract and the eggs until combined.  If you don’t have a mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, and then whisk together the eggs one at a time with the vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix together on a slow speed while adding the milk.  Make sure that all the ingredients are mixed well.
5. Evenly spoon the mixture into the cases.
6. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cakes comes outs clean.
7. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the icing.
9. Place the sugar, golden syrup and four tablespoons of water into a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
10. Bring the sugar syrup to the boil and cook for about 5-6 minutes until the syrup reaches 115C/239F when measured with a sugar thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat.
11. While the syrup is boiling, in a large bowl whisk the egg whites until peaks form when the whisk is removed.
12. With the mixer on a low-speed, pour in the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream – be careful not to pour the syrup onto the beaters as it may splash onto your hands.
13. Once all the syrup has been added increase the speed of the mixer and mix for about 10 minutes until the icing is completely cool, thick and glossy. Do not skimp on the whipping or your icing will be too soft and your ghosts will sag.
14. Place the icing into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle or just cut the piping bag at one end.  You want quite a large hole. Pipe a circle of icing onto each cupcake. Then, holding the bag upright over the centre of the cake, pipe a tall mound of icing, then quickly pull the tip away to form a small peak on the top.  (not like mine in these photos, I went a bit too spirally!)
15. Add any decoration of your choice to the marshmellow for eyes, I have used small silver candy balls.
16. The meringue icing will keep out of the fridge (the sugar syrup will have pasteurised the egg white), but make sure they don’t get too hot or the meringue will melt.