Halloween traybake

If you fancy making the sugar decorations, it's good to make these in advance. I rolled out black sugarpaste and cut out little bats, then let them dry before adding tiny balls of white for their eyes.

For the pumpkins, it's simple to make different sizes by rolling different sized balls and flattening out slightly. Then make the markings with a modelling tool, cocktail stick, small ball tool for the eyes that can be filled with tiny black sugarpaste balls or sprinkles, then add little mouths with a u shape tool or cut end of a straw.

Once all of these are dried, add pupils and some mouths and eyes on the pumpkins with a black edible pen. Once they have set, ideally overnight (or make a few days in advance to fit around your timings) they can be placed over the piping was the traybake is covered.

To bake, preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and line a 23x33cm (9x13in) baking tin with baking paper over the base and up the sides.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin purée.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pumpkin spice mix. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk until combined, then pour the mixture into the baking tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

To make the buttercream, place one-fifth of the icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the butter. Mix on a low speed until the butter is incorporated, then turn up to a high speed and beat until light and fluffy. Alternatively, make the buttercream by hand with a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon. Add half of the remaining icing sugar and pumpkin spice and mix on slow until incorporated, then turn up to a high speed and beat again. Add the remaining icing sugar and repeat the process. Finally, add the cream cheese and beat on slow until smooth, light and creamy.

Separate the buttercream into smaller bowls and add your Halloween colouring until you achieve the desired shade - this works well in pastels or brights.

Place the coloured buttercreams into piping bags with any nozzles you fancy and pipe all over the top of the cake in a random mix of shapes and colours.

Finish with some Halloween sprinkles and top with sugar eyes, bats and pumpkins. Store in the fridge for up to three days, but allow to come to room temperature before eating.