Creepy Crawly Dessert

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for me to start celebrating Halloween. To me this means creating lots of creepy and cute Halloween themed snacks. 

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing some of favourite, and also newly discovered, Halloween or pumpkin and squash treats. Get ready to trick or treat. 

My first treat is a delicious Pumpkin and Chocolate Swirl Cake with a White Chocolate Glaze. It would be beautiful served on it's own, but I decided to top each piece with a gummy spider. I think it adds a little extra fun into the holiday!

Pumpkin and Chocolate Swirl Cake with a White Chocolate Glaze - serves 12-16

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground ginger
3/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or 2 10 inch circle cake pans.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Divide into two bowls.

3. To make the pumpkin batter, stir the pumpkin into the egg mixture and, in a separate bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and spices. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.

4. To make the chocolate batter, stir the remaining flour, baking powder, salt, and the cocoa together. Then add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir until just combined.

5. Spoon half of the pumpkin mixture into the baking dish. Drop the chocolate batter in spoonfuls over the pumpkin batter. Repeat with the remaining pumpkin mixture.

6. Drag a butter knife through the cake batter, horizontally and vertically, to create a swirl pattern and then bake for about 50-60 minutes.

7. When cake is cool, cut, top with White Chocolate Glaze and a gummy spider (if desired).

White Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1. Combine all ingredients in a double boiler. Melt and stir together.