Tombstone: Melt the chocolate and add a few drops of food colouring to achieve a dark grey colour. Dip/brush the biscuits and place on a lined baking sheet and pop into the fridge to set. Once set, cover the back of the biscuits in the same way. Once fully set, decorate with white chocolate writing ‘RIP’, plus any other details you’d like on the tombstone. Keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Chocolate tree: Mix a small amount of black food colouring into the melted chocolate. Stick an A5 piece of parchment paper to a board and then pipe/spoon some of the melted chocolate into a tree trunk shape. Pop the wooden stick on top, leaving about an inch of the stick off. Pipe/spoon over more chocolate on top of the stick to seal it in. Continue to create an old tree shape with the chocolate. Place in the fridge and allow to set.
Chocolate soil: Mix together the crushed Oreos with the sponge scraps once you cut the graves out
Black Icing
In a stand mixer, beat the butter for a few minutes, then slowly incorporate the black cocoa powder, followed by the icing sugar a little at a time on a low speed until all mixed through and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and loosen with a little milk. Mix until smooth and the desired consistency to spread. The colour may appear a dark grey, but this will get darker over time. Set aside until ready to assemble the cake. If made the day before, store in the fridge, then allow to come to room temperature before decorating the cake.
Black Velvet Graveyard Cake
Heat the oven to 180°C and line a deep rectangular baking tin, approx size 12” x 9”.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for a few minutes until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, slowly incorporating. Then add the oil, vanilla and buttermilk and thoroughly mix through. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. If the colour isn’t looking too dark, add a small amount of black food colouring. Pour into the baking tin and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and allow to cool.
Place the cake on a cake board, and mark out 4 rectangular graves, approximately 4cm x 8cm. Make sure they are not too close to each other but evenly spaced out. Carefully cut each grave going half way through the cake, being careful not to try and keep the top surface in tack. Using a small offset spatula, remove the lid and keep aside for later. Scoop out some of the sponge and combine with the crushed Oreos for the soil. Do the same with the rest of the graves.
Carefully spread a 3-4mm layer of white buttercream inside the graves. Spoon in a heaped tablespoon of the melted jam and fill the grave with your choice of Halloween sweets. Top with more blood. Place the tombstones at the top end of each grave, then pop the sponge lids back in, trimming slightly to accommodate the headstone. Apply a roughly even layer of the butter cream all over the top and sides. Break the Matchmakers into shorter and longer pieces and stick to the side of the cake to create your fence. Sprinkle the chocolate soil all over the top, and stick the chocolate tree into its place. Finish decorating with Halloween ghosts, worms and bats.