Halloween Brain Cake

Make up a small batch of any Red Velvet cake, baked in a 6” round cake pan.

Allow to cool completely.

Then you will need:

700g marzipan

Wilton gel food colour in: Ivory, Copper & Pink

A batch of mixed berry coulis or some red berry jam.

A clean paint brush

Cut the cake into 2 even parts, and carve gently to form the shape of the two cerebral hemispheres (left and right sides of the brain). I just worked from a picture of a brain on Google images.

Knead just the smallest dab of each of the colourings into the marzipan until its evenly coloured (I find this combination makes the best brain colour, but it would look pretty convincing still if you just used the pink).

Roll out half of the marzipan until it forms an oval 4mm thick. Cut this into even 2 pieces and wrap your brain hemispheres until they’re completely coated.

Now roll the remaining marzipan into rounded strips of differing lengths but with around a 8mm diameter.

Attach these to the brain using just a brush of the coulis (this will be enough to secure them in place).

Form the strips into ‘lobes’ – again, use a real brain as your guide or the image below.

Brush a little coulis between the gaps as you wish. The bloodier the better (and tastier).

Dear scientists, zombies and all children under 12: Disclaimer: Please excuse me, I’m aware this is a very crude representation of the human brain. It is a tasty cake though.

Notes on working with Marizipan: If you’re having trouble kneading you can blast it in the microwave for just a few seconds, or leave it somewhere warm, its will soften up. Always wrap marzipan airtight if you are going to leave it out for any period or it will dry out and crack.