Indulge in a wickedly enchanting Halloween treat — layers of spiced toffee-apple cake wrapped in a swirl of caramel buttercream and crowned with ghostly white chocolate apples. It’s a showstopper that casts a sweet spell on every guest.
servings
For the Toffee-Apple Cake
- 210 g butter softened
- 270 g demerara sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g self-raising flour sifted
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 80 ml milk
- 145 g Golden Delicious apples finely grated and well squeezed
- 75 g flaked almonds toasted
For the Peanut-Brittle Buttercream
- 240 g sugar
- 250 ml water
- 375 ml fresh cream
- 250 g butter softened
For the Snow-White Apples
- 8 wooden skewers or clean sticks
- 8 small lunch-box apples
- 200 g white chocolate chopped
- Peanut brittle crushed, to serve
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line three 20 cm sandwich cake tins.
- Cream together the butter and demerara sugar until very light and fluffy (about 8–10 minutes).
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Combine dry ingredients: Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Stir in the grated, well-squeezed apple and toasted almonds.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Make the toffee caramel:
- In a saucepan, heat the sugar and water gently until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil and simmer (without stirring) until it turns a dark toffee colour (around 137°C on a sugar thermometer).
- Carefully pour in the cream (it will bubble up) and swirl to combine.
- Allow to cool completely, then divide the toffee sauce into two halves.
- Cool the cakes completely before removing them from the tins.
Prepare the buttercream:
- Beat the butter until very white and fluffy (8–10 minutes).
- Add one half of the cooled toffee sauce and whip to combine. The buttercream should be light and airy.
Assemble the cake:
- Sandwich the cake layers together with buttercream, sprinkling a little crushed peanut brittle between each layer.
- Cover the top and sides with the remaining buttercream and decorate one side with more peanut brittle.
Prepare the apples:
- Insert wooden sticks into the apples and set aside.
- Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Dip each apple into the melted chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on a lined baking sheet to set completely.
Decorate:
- Place the coated apples on top of the cake and drizzle with the remaining half of the toffee sauce. Serve and enjoy!
