From her exquisite new book A Year In Cake, Peggy Porschen shares with us this week her ultra cute Halloween ghost cake tutorial and black velvet cake recipe.

It’s just one of a beautiful array of recipes and cake designs for every season of the year you’ll find in her latest book, with cakes, cupcakes and iced cookies for every occasion including Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

Peggy also shares some of her unique style secrets – covering spring, summer, autumn and winter – so that fans can recreate this stunning lifestyle at home.

For Halloween this year, you can be the ‘hostess with the mostess’ and captivate your guests with this spellbinding layer cake design from A Year In Cake.

Bite through the white marshmallow spun cobwebs and pink vanilla buttercream, into sumptuous layers of black velvet sponge and pink vanilla cream cheese frosting. Cheeky ghost characters, meringue kisses, and sprinkles will complete your Halloween-themed party cake.

Makes a 15cm (6in) cake (serves 10)

For the sugar ghosts:

120g (4¼oz) white sugar florist paste
a small amount of white vegetable fat (eg Trex)
fuchsia pink food colouring paste
icing (confectioner’s) sugar and cornflour (cornstarch), for dusting
black edible food pen
edible blush pink blossom tint
pearl edible lustre spray

For the meringue kisses:

1 quantity Meringue Kisses – follow the instructions here up to the stage at which you’re ready to add the flavouring
1 tsp vanilla extract
fuchsia pink food colouring paste

For the vanilla sugar syrup:

75g (2½oz/⅓ cup) caster sugar
75ml (2½fl oz/⅓ cup) water
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the black velvet sponge:

105g (3½oz/7 tbsp) salted butter
265g (9¼oz/1¼ cups plus 1½ tbsp) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1½ tbsp activated charcoal
240g (8½oz/1 cup) buttermilk
225g (8oz/1¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
20g (⅔oz/3 tbsp) cocoa powder
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the vanilla cream cheese filling:

100g (3½oz/scant ½ cup) full-fat cream cheese
100g (3½oz/7 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
200g (7oz/1½ cups less 1 tbsp) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
½ tsp vanilla extract
fuchsia pink food colouring paste

For the pink vanilla meringue buttercream:

45ml (3 tbsp) water
190g (scant 1 cup) caster sugar
105g (3½ oz) egg whites (from approx. 5 eggs)
240g (9oz/1 cup plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, diced and softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
fuchsia pink food paste colouring

For the decorations:

300g (10oz) marshmallows
silver star sprinkles
silver macaroni rods
pink glimmer vermicelli
pink and silver mini sugar pearls
mini marshmallows

Specialist equipment:

‘BOO’ lettering stamps
ghost cookie cutter set
large piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½in) round nozzle
large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle
3 x 15cm (6in) round shallow cake tins
15cm (6in) round thin cake board
rubber gloves

To make the sugar ghosts:

Mix the sugar florist paste with a small amount of vegetable fat to a smooth, pliable paste. Remove any dry and brittle pieces of paste before kneading it, as it will spoil the batch and look lumpy.

Mix about one-third of the paste with a small amount of fuchsia food colouring to a medium pink shade and wrap in cling film.

Lightly dust a smooth surface or plastic board with cornflour and place the white sugar florist paste on top. Apply a thin layer of vegetable fat to a rolling pin and roll the paste out to a thickness of 1mm (1⁄32in).

For the large white ghost, press the BOO letters into the middle of the paste until the letters show in the icing.

Place the large ghost cutter on the paste with the BOO sitting centred on the upper belly and stamp it out.

Re-roll the paste and stamp out 2 to 3 small white ghosts using the smallest cookie cutter. Repeat the rolling and cutting process for about 3 small ghosts using the pink sugar florist paste.

Transfer the sugar ghosts onto a smooth surface that has been lightly dusted with icing sugar or cornflour and let them dry completely. This may take at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight.

Once dry, paint little faces on each of the ghosts using the black edible food pen. Have some fun by varying the facial expressions. Add little pink cheeks using the blush pink blossom tint and a fine artist’s brush. Spray the ghosts with the pearl edible lustre spray.

To make the meringue kisses:

Preheat the oven to 80ºC/175ºF/Gas ¼. Follow the instructions here to make the meringue kisses until you get to adding the flavouring.

Add the vanilla extract to the meringue mixture and stir well to combine.

Divide the meringue into 2 equal portions and set one aside – this will stay white.

Mix about 1 tbsp of the remaining meringue with a drop of fuchsia pink colour and blend together with a palette knife until all the colour specks have dispersed. Add this back into the meringue and mix in until you have an even pink shade.

Using a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½in) round nozzle and another piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, pipe a selection of differently-sized pink and white meringue kisses on the prepared trays. The sizes should range from about 8mm (⅓in) to 2.2cm (1in) – the difference in size can be achieved by simply squeezing the bag for longer to increase the size.

You may end up with more meringues than you need to decorate the cake, but you can use them either as additional confectionery on your table, displayed in a candy jar for example, or store them in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks and use them for a dessert.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until the meringues can be lifted clean off the tray. Allow to cool.

To make the vanilla sugar syrup:

Put the sugar, water and vanilla extract in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To make the black velvet sponge layers:

Preheat the oven to 175ºC fan/375ºF/Gas 5. Grease 3 x 15cm (6in) shallow cake tins with oil spray and line the bases with baking parchment.

Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat at medium–high speed until pale and fluffy. This will take a while, so do this as a first step to allow plenty of time to aerate the mixture.

In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then slowly pour them into the butter and sugar mix while beating on medium speed. Watch as the eggs combine with the butter mix and stop pouring if the batter needs time to come together, then add more. The eggs and butter should both be at room temperature to avoid splitting. However, should the mixture split, add 1 tbsp flour to bring the batter back together before adding more egg.

Mix the activated charcoal with the buttermilk in a small bowl.

Mix the flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.

Alternating between the 2, add the flour and the buttermilk to the batter in batches and mix until combined.

Mix the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda together and immediately, as it bubbles up, add it to the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake tins and gently spread the batter towards the edges. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–30 minutes. The sponges are cooked when the edges come away from the sides of the cake tin and the tops spring back to the touch.

Leave the sponges to rest in the tins for about 10–15 minutes and brush the tops with the sugar syrup. This will prevent the cakes from forming a hard crust and the heat will ensure the moisture and flavour are absorbed evenly. Reserve the remainder of the syrup for layering.

Once slightly cooled, un-mould the sponges from the cake tins carefully without breaking the edges – use a small kitchen knife to release the sides if required. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the vanilla cream cheese filling:

Put the cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream until smooth.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add the cream cheese to the butter mixture in batches and beat until well combined.

Add the vanilla extract and mix in well.

Mix 1 tbsp vanilla cream cheese filling with some fuchsia pink food colouring to a deep pink shade and blend together with a palette knife until all the colour specks have dispersed. Little by little, add the pink filling back to the main batch and mix until you have reached a medium shade of pink.

Cover the bowl with either a lid or cling film and chill until ready to use.

To make the pink vanilla meringue buttercream:

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Place a sugar thermometer in the pan.

Put the egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (Ensure the bowl and whisk are grease free or the meringue will not whip up properly.)

Once the sugar reaches 116ºC/240ºF, start whisking the egg whites to a stiff peak on the lowest speed.

Once the sugar reaches 121ºC/250ºF (softball stage), remove the pan from the heat.

Slowly pour the hot syrup into the whipped egg whites in a thin and steady stream (also called ‘string pouring’) while still mixing on a low to medium speed. Once all the sugar syrup is added, turn the speed up to high and continue whisking until the mixture has cooled to lukewarm and the meringue is stiff and fluffy.

Now slowly add the soft, diced butter to the meringue, a few cubes at a time and whisking all the time, until it is all incorporated. The texture should look smooth and glossy. If it looks split, continue whisking as it may take some time to come together.

Troubleshooting: If your buttercream splits, this could be for 2 reasons – the butter is either too cold or too warm.

If the butter is too cold, use a blowtorch or bain marie to warm up the outside of the bowl so that the temperature of the meringue and butter are more similar and they will come back together.

If the butter is too warm, place the split buttercream in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes so that the buttercream firms up. Go back to whisking and it should come back together.

Note: During the process of adding the butter, the mixture will look split at some point. But don’t worry as this is the fat being emulsified with the meringue to achieve a smooth glossy buttercream. Just keep whisking!

Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Mix 1 tbsp of the buttercream with a small amount of fuchsia pink food colouring to a dark pink shade and blend together with a palette knife until all the colour specks have dispersed. Little by little, add the dark pink buttercream back to the main batch and mix until you have reached a medium pink shade.

To assemble and decorate the cake:

Layer the cake with the vanilla cream cheese filling, then crumb-coat and mask it with the meringue buttercream. (Reserve a little buttercream to use to stick the ghosts and meringue kisses on the cake later.) Chill until set.

Decorate the cake as close to serving it as possible to minimise the exposure to humidity. You will need a pedestal for the cake to sit on with a base that is smaller than the width of the cake. This is so that your hands can reach underneath the cake when draping the cobweb around it. This could be a small bowl turned upside down with a non-slip mat or damp cloth on top for the cake to sit on. Place the cake carefully on top of the pedestal.

Put the marshmallows in a microwaveable bowl and warm in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until melted.

Put on some rubber gloves. Pick up a handful of the melted marshmallows and stretch it between your hands until it looks stringy then wrap it over the top and around the sides of the cake. Repeat all over the cake until it is covered in cobwebs. The melted marshmallows can set quickly, so you may need to reheat them from time to time to soften them again.

Arrange the meringue kisses and sugar ghosts on top and around the side of the cake using dabs of buttercream to stick them on. Support the large ghost with a large meringue kiss at the back, leaning it against it so that it doesn’t fall over.

Add the mini marshmallows and sprinkles on top and around the sides with the help of tweezers if you find it too tricky by hand.

Serve as soon as possible.

Halloween ghost cake tutorial and “Sweet Shivers” black velvet cake recipe extracted with permission from A Year In Cake, published by Quadrille. Photography ©Paul Plews