In Scotland, we call it guising and when I was a girl, you dressed up and then you went to people’s doorsteps, and you had to do a ‘turn’. So we’d recite a poem or sing a song, or something and then we would be rewarded with sweets – sometimes even money! – I can’t really understand why Trick or Treating has been so readily accepted instead of this rather quaint tradition. I do however like the fact that we now carve pumpkins rather that Turnips (in England they call these swedes!), they were impossible, like carving lumps of wood. Incidentally, f you are carving a pumpkin this year and can wait until the next issue of Yours on 3rd November I do have a lovely recipe for mini pumpkin pies.  (what you could do is cook the pumpkin and keep it in anticipation).

With no bonfire, no trick or treaters I wanted to do something fun! I love making cakes with wee ones and getting them baking but this could appeal to all ages!  I am going to do this on my Live Instagram Friday 30th at 5pm – do join me or catch up later. I will run it as a class, step by step so the wee ones can join in – with supervision for the oven.

Wobbly web cupcakes – Serves 6

 Ingredients

60g (2 oz) soft margarine/soft butter

60g (2 oz) self raising agent – sieved

60g (2oz) sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder – sieved

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Icing

80g icing sugar -sieved

1 tbsp water

For the web  – a coloured icing pen or a brush and some gel/paint

For the spider 

Either a pack of fondant icing and some dyes

or

A small pack of multi pre-dyed fondant

or

Just one pre-dyed pack of pre-dyed icing fondant

Sweets to make legs – I found these in Poundland but you could by liquorice and cut up

 Method

Pre heat the oven to 165C Fan/180C/Gas Mark 4

1. Put 6 cases in a bun tin.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until soft and pale.
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the cases.
4. Bake 15 -18 mins, they should be springy to the touch.
5. Cool on rack for at least 20 mins.
6. Make the icing: sift in the icing sugar into bowl. Gradually add the water to icing sugar until it has a soft consistency.
7. Cover the cooled cakes with the icing sugar, using the back of a spoon to take it to the edges.
8. To make the web – 2 ways.
9. When the icing is dry, pipe the black icing on in rough hexagonals or if using paste, when the icing is wet paint on hexagonals from the centre – about 3, drag a cocktail stick from centre outwards to create the web effect.

I made the head by adding dye to icing paste, and then attached the legs but you could cut out a spider from paper!