Jack-o-Lantern Cake

To make this cake:

Jack-o-Lantern Cake

I made my pumpkin loaf recipe but instead of baking in 3 loaf pans, I baked it in one bundt.  Then, you make the recipe again, and from the batter you bake 2 cupcakes (no muffin cup – just spray the tin with non-stick cooking spray) and a second bundt cake.  So you have 2 pumpkin bundt cakes, and 2 pumpkin cupcakes..  You with me so far?  Good! 

Once they’ve cooled, you mix up the cream cheese icing!

Ingredients

1 block hard cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
5 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
2-4 tbsp milk
orange food colour gel (stronger than just food colouring, and your colours are more vibrant)
green food colour gel

Method

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl, except for the milk & the food colouring gel.  Using an electric mixer, beat until the ingredients are combined.
2. Add in milk 1 tbsp at a time to achieve a spreadable consistency.
3. Remove about 1/2 cup of the icing to a small dish and set aside.
4. Add some of the orange food colouring gel to the big bowl and using the mixer blend until combined.  Add more of the gel until you are satisfied with the colour for your pumpkin.
5. Next, add some of the green food colouring gel to the reserved icing and blend with a spoon until you are happy with the stem colour.

Now that you have your cakes, your cupcakes & your icing, we’re set to make a jack-o-lantern!  Here are the assembly instructions:

1. Level your bundt cakes.  I bought a cake leveller several months ago after learning the value of level cakes when I made my first castle cake (with my Mom — it was so fun!).  You can use a knife as well, just make sure that your cuts are even.
2. Take the larger one (the first one you made, the second was the cake + cupcakes, so it’s smaller) and place it round-side down on a cake plate.  Ice it with the orange cream cheese icing.
3. Next, making sure to match the bumps on the bundt, place the flat-side of the second cake down to the iced cake on the plate.  The shape you have now should be oval, a lot like a pumpkin.  Ice the top cake with the orange icing.
4. Now we will fill the whole in the pumpkin with the cupcakes, making them the stem.  To do this, level the cupcakes.  Not completely flat like you did with the bundts, but enough that they can be stacked top-to-top with out falling.  Then, ice one of them with the green icing and place it right side up in the hole.
5. Take the second cupcake and ice the top of it, and place it on top of the fist one, top to top.  Carefully ice the rest of the cupcake so as not to get any of the green frosting on your perfect orange pumpkin.
6. To make your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern, melt 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave.  Be careful and work slowly, as the chocolate can burn easily.  I generally start with 30 seconds and then stir the chips.  Then, I do 15 seconds and stir, 15 seconds and stir, and so on until they are smooth and glisteny.
7. Take the melted chocolate and put it into a sandwich bag.  Snip off a corner and voila!  Instant piping bag.    Draw the face on your jack-o-lantern, using a knife to smooth the chocolate’s surface.

And you’re done!

The idea for this cake came from this cookbook, that I bought at Connor’s school’s book fair.  We love it!  It has great pictures and some very fun recipes.