Spiced Pumpkin Traybake

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

METHOD

  • 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.