How to Make a Jack-O-Lantern Cake

I like to experiment with different sizes and shapes of vessels to bake cakes in. One Halloween I came up with the Jack-O-Lantern cake by using two bunt cake pans.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 chocolate cake mixes
• eggs, oil, & water as directed on the cake mix.
• 1 small empty can, such as a small tomato paste can
• 1 or 2 bunt cake pans
• 2 lbs. powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream
• Red, yellow, and green food coloring.
• 1 square baking chocolate

1. Bake cakes according to pkg. directions. Reserve enough cake batter to fill the greased & floured tomato paste can. If your oven is large enough to accommodate two bunt cake pans, without overcrowding, and if you have two pans, bake both cakes at the same time. Otherwise, mix and bake one cake at a time. Don't leave the can in the oven as long as the cakes.

2. Assemble after cakes have cooled completely. I freeze them to make them easier to work with.

3. Mix powdered sugar, butter, extract, and a small amount of cream, adding more cream gradually until frosting is spreadable, but leave it a little stiff so food coloring won't make it too thin.

4. Tint 1/4 cup frosting a nice bright green.

5. Melt baking chocolate and add enough to 1/3 cup of frosting to make it a rich, dark brown. Add more powdered sugar if it becomes too thin by the time it's as dark as you want it.

6. Tint remaining frosting with red and yellow food coloring until it becomes bright orange.

7. Place first cake upside down on plate, Spread with orange frosting.

8. Place second cake on top with the two flat sides together. Frost entire cake with orange frosting.

9. Use a string dipped in melted baking chocolate to make vertical lines around the cake to emphasize the shape of a pumpkin.

10. Scrape orange frosting away from cake in the shapes desired for the face. Fill in the spaces with chocolate frosting.

11. Add a small amount of green frosting around the top hole in the cake in a small jagged circle.

12. Frost the small can cake with the rest of the green frosting, and place it in a slightly leaning position on the frosted hole.

Tips & Warnings

• This cake makes quite an impression at school Halloween parties, or school carnival cake walks.