You have to try this bone-chillingly good Halloween Scary Bones cake recipe

Halloween is nearly here, so cook up a spook-tacularly tasty treat with this Dr. Oetker Shaky Bones Cake recipe, baked by Juliet Sear. Decorated with meringue bones and dripping raspberry-flavoured blood, this cake is guaranteed to impress.

Ingredients for cake:

• 340g self raising flour
• 290g softened butter
• 270g golden caster sugar
• 350ml buttermilk
• 3 medium eggs
• 2 tsp Dr. Oetker Extra Strong Food Gel Colour Red
• 3 tbsp Dr. Oetker Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Natural Extract
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp Dr. Oetker Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1.5 tsp white vinegar
• 2 greased and lined 8" round cake tins
• 1kg pre-prepared cream cheese frosting (Buttercream with 2/3 tbsp cream cheese – add more to taste)

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Ingredients for meringue bones

• 175g white caster sugar
• 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1 tsp Madagascan Vanilla Natural Extract
• Pinch of salt Frosting Ingredients
• 250g Soft unsalted butter
• 500g icing sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp room temp cream cheese

Ingredients for blood

• 3 tbsp seedless strawberry/raspberry jam to a ¼ tsp Dr. Oetker Red Food Gel Colour Recipe

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan)
2. Grease and line two 8" round cake tins on the base and sides
3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Beat eggs in gently one at a time, thoroughly adding each one into mixture
5. In a small bowl, mix the Cocoa Powder, Vanilla Extract and red Food Gel Colour into a paste. Add to the cake batter and beat well
6. Add salt to the buttermilk and stir. Add to the cake batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated but don’t overbeat
7. In a small bowl mix the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and add to the batter. Mix until smooth
8. Divide equally between the two tins and level out the mix
9. Put in oven and bake for 20 mins.
10. Leave to cool and layer with crumb coat and frosting. Chill for half an hour before decorating

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Recipe for meringue bones

1. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with an electric hand whisk or in a stand mixer until stiff peak consistency is reached
2. Add 1/3 of the sugar and whisk in for 30 sec. Add the other two additions whisking well between each. You will have a lovely stiff glossy meringue mixture.
3. Place mixture in a piping bag and pipe random sized bone shape meringues over two large baking trays, leaving a little gap in between each
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 120C (fan). Ensure they are dried out completely
5. To decorate the cake, use a little cream cheese frosting to fix the bone around the top and on the sides of the cake
6. Slice and serve with a drizzle of red jam made with a touch of water and a tiny squeeze of red Food Gel Colour to replicate gooey blood

Frosting recipe

1. Add the 250g of soft unsalted butter and 500g icing sugar into a large bowl or stand mixer.
2. Use an electric whisk or stand mixer to mix together until light and fluffy.
3. Add 3 tbsp of room temperature cream cheese and gently mix.