Easy Halloween Cake

Preheat oven to moderate 180C (160C fan forced). Line 3 x 20cm round cake pans with baking paper. Place dry cake mixes into a large bowl.

Add eggs, melted butter and milk, as directed on packet. Using electric beaters, mix on low speed for 30 sec, then on medium speed for 2-3 min.

Pour one-third of mixture into a separate bowl. Add 1 teaspoon purple food gel colouring to the small portion of cake batter and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into one prepared cake pan.

Add about 1 teaspoon orange food gel colouring to the larger portion of cake batter and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide mixture among remaining two prepared cake pans.

Bake cakes for 35-40 min or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in pans for 5 min then turn out onto wire cooling racks until completely cooled.

Level cakes if needed and sandwich together with the frosting sachets that came with the cake mixes. Take a 2 tablespoons of frosting from the tub and tint black. Use the remaining frosting to cover sides and top of the cake. Spoon a little black onto the top for the eyes.

Place remaining frosting into a zip-lock bag and snip the corner. Pipe a line for a mouth then pipe ‘crooked teeth’ over the mouth line and finally 2 small lines for a nose.