A Bewitching Halloween Party

Beware the little black bunny in the witchy hat. She may look sweet and innocent, but don’t be fooled by that twitching nose and cutesy little tail, for the Countess…



and her fearsome sidekick, would happily have you for breakfast…



Together they rule with an iron paw from the lofty heights of their velvety castle, and every Halloween throw a spooktacularly creepy party where nothing is quite what it seems. Two human servants cater to their every whim, not least the Countess’s gruesome habit of bathing daily in carrot juice to keep her fur so beautifully soft and silky. Rumour has it she’s a rather distant cousin of Erzsébet Báthory.

Her lady-in-waiting has been working fiendishly hard this week preparing for the party and ‘tis feared she may have muddled her wheatgrass shots with absinthe. It’s not the first time this has happened and would certainly explain a thing or two!

And so without further ado, you are most welcome at this darkly enchanted Halloween party! Come and meet the other guests and help yourself to an array of magical nibbles – all unbaked for the undead…



The eye of newt pâté is really quite delicious washed down with a glass of the finest vintage venom…



Or maybe a cup of witches’ brew and a Green Goblin Cupcake will enchant your tastebuds?



The Brain Splatter Cupcakes are to die for…



Fancy a slice of the Rest in Torment Pie? It’s truly out of this world…



Thanks for stopping by our macabre Halloween Party! Please excuse the unruly behaviour of some of the guests…



They’re only allowed out once a year and like to live it up a little…


(Photos © M. Ellis and P. Jordan)

And last but not least, a huge thank you to the wonderful Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist blog for organising today’s ghoulish event – click here to read Miss V’s party post and for links to the entire list of Halloween cyber-partiers.

Chocolate Almond Fudge Cupcakes

The Chocolate Almond Fudge Cupcakes below are based on another wonderful recipe from ‘Ani’s Raw Food Desserts’ (Almond-Goji Cacao Chip Cookies p117). These cookies are delicious just as they are, but I couldn't resist converting them to a cupcake with a chocolate frosting and a sprinkling of raw cacao nibs on top for a little extra crunch.

I tweaked the proportions of Ani’s original recipe to give it a softer, fudge-like consistency and only made enough for 2 cupcakes, which I totally regretted later on as they tasted amazing!




Cupcake mix:
3 heaped dessertspoons almond butter
2-3 dessertspoons raw agave nectar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
½ cup almond meal
Handful of goji berries
1 dessertspoon raw cacao nibs
(Stir together in a mixing bowl).

Chocolate frosting (enough for 2 cupcakes):
¼ cup almond meal
1 tsp raw cacao powder
1 dessertspoon raw agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp water
(Stir together in a mixing bowl).

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I recently bought some silicone moulds on ebay and have been itching to try out the raw cupcake recipes in Ani Phyo’s beautiful book, ‘Ani’s Raw Food Desserts’. I can never refuse a slice of carrot cake (well, cake in general), so I was intrigued by the prospect of how raw carrot cake would compare with the trusty cooked version. Even though I’ve been having fun making raw desserts for a couple of years now, there are still a few cooked recipes I hold sacred lol!




The cupcake base is a mixture of grated carrot (with some of the juice squeezed out), almond meal, ground cinnamon, Medjool dates and shredded coconut… and it really does taste every bit as good as the baked version!

Ani’s dairy-free ‘Kream Cheeze Frosting’ is made with ground cashews, lemon juice, raw agave nectar and a little water. I’ve used this delicious cream cheese alternative before in raw desserts and it’s perfect for topping any carrot cake, raw or not.

(Photos: Pam)