Written by Giulia Doyle of Audrey’s 74

I grew up in Europe and Halloween was not a holiday we celebrated, but when I moved to Canada 11 years ago I embraced it. My kids also look forward to it, the decorations, the treats and the costumes. When the Land of Nod asked me if I wanted to try their Meri Meri Halloween kit I was excited. The Halloween decoration collection is charming, uses lovely quality paper, fun motives and isn’t cheap looking. My favorite is the gold foil on many of the items and my kids loved picking different cup cake toppers and creating their own scenes. The garlands and pinwheel decorations are easy to assemble and I know they’ll be featured prominently on our fireplace come October. I also love the motives on the gift bags (more gold!) and we all thought the party cups were a fun craft.

I decided to set up a Halloween party table to use the full spectrum of party supplies available and today I’m also sharing two recipes with you. Crêpes, which are a big crowd pleaser and simple chocolate cupcakes with mascarpone frosting. We also made sugar cookies from a mix and used the great Halloween cookie cutters.

Crêpes with Whipped Cream, Pecans and Maple Syrup

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8-10 crêpes depending on how thin you can get them.

Ingredients

• 200 g flour
• salt
• 4 eggs
• 200 ml milk
• 200 ml water
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted in pan
• whipping cream
• maple syrup

Instructions

1. Combine flour and pinch of salt in a medium sized bowl. Mix eggs, milk and water in a measuring cup and mix with flour, starting with a well in the centre of the flour. Mix until well combined and there are no lumps. Let rest about 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. While waiting, whip as much cream as you think you’ll need (I used one cup) until you have firm, but soft tips. Mix in a table spoon of maple syrup. Set aside.
3. Chop your pecans and toast them on low heat for a couple of minutes. Set aside and let cool.
4. Once batter has rested, heat a medium frying pan on medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil. Add a ladle of batter and tilt pan until the bottom is covered evenly and thinly with batter. Let cook until batter looks almost set on top. Use a silicon spatula and gently lift crêpe and flip. Cook another minute or so or until other side is golden. If the crêpe doesn’t release easily to flip, wait a little longer as it’s not yet done. You can also flip the crêpes with the pan if you dare.
5. Keep the crêpes on a plate and put in warming oven until all are done. Serve with whipped cream, sprinkled with chopped pecans and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

*Note how my cream looks messy in the pictures. The hot crêpes will make the whipped cream liquefy again, so serve immediately for prettier serving.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: Two dozen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• Mascarpone Frosting (See recipe below)
• Sanding sugar for decor

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan. I used white liners in order for the pretty ones not to get greasy.
2. Sift cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar into bowl. Beat in oil, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and hot water one at a time, using a mixer set at low. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be quite liquid.
3. Pour batter into cupcake pans. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
4. Let cupcakes cool in pans on wire racks, 20 minutes, before removing. Cool completely on racks.
5. Fill frosting into a piping bag with large frosting tip of your choice. Frost each cupcake, starting from the outside in and finishing off by pulling the frosting up into a tip.
6. Sprinkle with orange sanding sugar.

Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 tub of mascarpone
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2.5 cups of whipping cream

Instructions

1. Combine mascarpone, sugar and vanilla with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add whipping cream and whip at medium-high speed until the cream turns to a whipped cream consistency. Don’t over-whip the mixture. This frosting pipes very easily.

 

Giulia Doyle blogs at Audrey’s 74. She loves to share the sweet and savory, be it in the kitchen or travels. She juggles a family and a full-time job – they cook, travel and often paint a wall a new color.

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