Nightmare on Evelyn Street.

Frankly, Halloween did not live up to my abnormally high standards this year. There were no parties, no spontaneous trips to Venice and nor was there a single pumpkin to be had in the days leading up to all hallows eve. For a very short while Jenny and I contemplated going on a ghost walk around Peckham, but decided that our lives would be in safer hands if we declined. Still, I made the most of a bad situation and spent a fine evening at home, hiding behind a pillow so Jen could watch horror movies, wearing my Max costume, drinking orange hot chocolate and baking/eating festive cupcakes with pumpkins on top. Here have a recipe:

Ginger Cupcakes:
200g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
175g dark soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons black treacle
150ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature
4 pieces of stem ginger, drained and chopped
2 large eggs, beaten
300g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tablespoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt

• Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan)/180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and line two 12-hole muffin trays with the appropriate size and number of cupcake cases.
• Melt the butter, sugar and treacle in a saucepan over a low heat. Cool briefly and then stir in the milk.
• Add the chopped ginger to the beaten eggs and then beat into the butter mixture. Sift the flour, ground ginger and salt and add to the warm mixture. Combine thoroughly.
• Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds fill. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes - it should come out clean.

Ginger Fudge Icing:
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons ginger syrup, drained from a jar of stem ginger
300g icing sugar, sifted

• In a large mixing bowl beat the butter for a few minutes until really smooth, then add the remaining ingredients and beat again until the icing is smooth and creamy.
• Enjoy.