Vegan Oreo Bat Cake

Directions

1. Warm your oven to 180°C with the fan setting, and prepare three 8-inch loose-bottom or push-up cake tins by lining them with greaseproof paper. If you only have one or two tins, you can bake the layers one at a time—just keep the extra batter covered with a damp tea towel until it's ready to go in.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar until well blended, then let it sit for 10 minutes so it curdles into a vegan buttermilk.
3. In a separate large bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, caster sugar, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda, then stir them together.
4. Pour the sunflower oil and vanilla extract into the buttermilk mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Gently fold in the ground Oreo cookies until evenly distributed.
7. Divide the batter equally among the three lined tins, then tap each tin firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles.
8. Bake the cakes in the center of your preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. They're ready when a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops feel springy when gently pressed.
9. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let them cool for a few minutes before turning them out of the tins. Allow them to cool completely on the rack, then store in an airtight container until you're ready to frost.
10. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk), beat the dairy-free butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy.
11. Sift the icing sugar into the bowl, add the ground Oreo cookies, and beat on high speed for 5 to 8 minutes until fully incorporated and airy. If the buttercream is too stiff, add a few more chunks of cold butter; if it's too soft, add a little more sifted icing sugar. The goal is a smooth, creamy, spreadable consistency.
12. Set one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spoon or pipe a generous amount of buttercream onto the top and spread it evenly with an offset spatula or palette knife.
13. If you like, sprinkle a little ground Oreo over the buttercream before placing the second cake layer on top. Repeat the layering with the remaining cake and buttercream.
14. Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream all over the cake to seal in any loose crumbs, smoothing the sides with a cake scraper or palette knife.
15. Refrigerate the cake for 15 to 20 minutes so the buttercream firms up, which will make the final layer and decorating much easier.
16. Prepare a batch of black buttercream (using the same base recipe but with black food gel). Take the cake out of the fridge and apply a thicker final coat, smoothing the sides with a cake scraper. Use an offset spatula to create a decorative finish around the top edge, as shown in the video.
17. Spoon any remaining black buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a medium star-shaped nozzle.
18. Pipe decorative swirls of buttercream around the top edge of the cake.
19. Gently twist apart the mini Oreos to separate each into two halves.
20. Scrape off the cream filling with a knife, or leave it on if you prefer.
21. Twist a regular Oreo in half, then carefully cut each half into two semicircular pieces to form bat wings. You will need two semicircle wings for each bat.
22. Put a small dab of black buttercream on the back of each wing piece.
23. Press the winged halves onto one mini Oreo half at an angle to look like spread wings, then add another dab of buttercream and place the other mini Oreo half on top to form the bat body. Hold it for a few seconds to secure.
24. Use a small piping tip or a toothpick to place two tiny dots of melted white chocolate on the top of each Oreo body for the eyes, then add an even smaller dot of dark chocolate in the center of each white dot.
25. Freeze the bats for 5 to 10 minutes to set the chocolate, then arrange them on the cake as decoration.
26. Cut yourself a slice, serve it up, and enjoy this spooky creation!