Chocolate, mint, and more chocolate. Who doesn't love an ectoplasmic Halloween cake?

Now is not the time for sophistication.

Chocolate mint sponge, with chocolate chips, sandwiched together with a mint buttercream, encased in a chocolate gloss, splattered with peppermint....splats, or snot, or ectoplasm, call it what you will; this cake will delight the oldest of  *children*.

For the cake:

• 120g self raising flour 
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 120g caster sugar
• 120g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tsp mint essence 
• 50g plain chocolate, chopped (or 50g dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 160 deg, grease and line a 7" springform tin with parchment

In a bowl whisk or sieve flour, baking powder and cocoa

Beat butter and sugar together in another bowl. Add eggs one at a time and beat together. Add flour mixture gradually until just incorporated

Stir in the mint essence and chocolate 

Spoon mixture into tin and bake for about 30 mins, allow to cool in tin for 30 minutes before removing to a rack until completely cooled

For the buttercream filling:

• 50g unsalted butter, softened 
• 100g icing sugar sieved 
• 1/2 tsp mint essence 
• green food colouring

Beat the ingredients until fully mixed. Carefully cut your cake into two, and spread the buttercream over the bottom disk, stopping just short of the edge. Sandwich together.

For the Glossy Chocolate Frosting:

• 75g Plain Chocolate
• 50g Butter
• 150g Icing Sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, stir in the icing sugar (add a little hot water if it is too thick to spread (it will thicken, and eventually set as it cools, it can be warmed to revitalise if needed). Spread thickly over completely cooled cake.

Decorate as desired - I used candy skulls, plastic spiders (removed when serving), and a drizzle of  peppermint icing for the 'ectoplasm'.

Eat in a menacing fashion.