Spiced Pumpkin Traybake
100g Whitworths Sunshine Sultanas
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300g plain flour
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135g caster sugar
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160g light brown sugar
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2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
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1 tsp ground cinnamon
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1 tsp ground nutmeg
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½ tsp ground ginger
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3 medium eggs, beaten
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40 ml whole milk
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100 ml sunflower oil
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180g fresh pumpkin, grated
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FOR THE TOPPING
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4 (50g) Whitworths Stoned Sayer Dates
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50g pretzel sticks, cut into 32 short pieces
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mini marshmallows, to decorate
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50g apricot jam
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250g ready to roll orange coloured icing block
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1 large bag milk chocolate buttons
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1 black tube piping icing
METHOD
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Preheat your oven to 140⁰C / Fan 120⁰C / Gas Mark 2 then line a large rectangular tin (approx 21x29cm).
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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.
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In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, milk and sunflower oil together, until a little frothy then add to the flour mix.
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Add the pumpkin and sultanas then stir well.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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When your cake has cooled completely, roll out the icing to the same size as your tin (use your tin as a template).
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Spread the jam over the top of the cake then lay over the rolled out icing.
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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.