Jack-o’-Lantern Cake (Perfect Halloween Cake!)
An easy and creative recipe for a Jack O’ Lantern cake, perfect for a Halloween party. This festive dessert starts with a convenient yellow cake mix, which is enhanced with pumpkin spice instant pudding for a seasonal flavor. Two round cakes are baked, then one is cleverly cut and rearranged to form a pumpkin shape. The cake is covered in a bright orange marshmallow buttercream frosting. The final touches are a jack-o’-lantern face and stem made from melted chocolate, and a green sour belt candy for the vine.
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- One 15.25-ounce box yellow cake mix
- One 3.4-ounce box pumpkin spice instant pudding mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups water
- For the Frosting:
- 2 cups marshmallow cream
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons red food coloring
- 2 teaspoons yellow food coloring
- For the Decoration:
- 1/2 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 long green sour belt candy
Instructions
- Make the Cake Layers: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, and 1 1/2 cups of water until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the Frosting: In a stand mixer, beat the marshmallow cream and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time until smooth. Add the red and yellow food coloring and beat until the frosting is a bright orange.
- Prepare the Decorations: Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave. Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag. On a parchment-lined tray, pipe two triangle eyes and a mouth. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes until hardened.
- Assemble the Cake: Place one of the cooled cakes on a large cutting board. Cut a 4 1/2-inch round out of the center of the second cake. Cut this small round in half to make two half-moons. Cut the remaining cake ring in half to make two crescent shapes.
- Place a cake crescent on either side of the whole cake to create a pumpkin shape. Cut the bottom off one of the half-moon shapes to create a stem.
- Coat the stem piece with the remaining melted chocolate and chill for 10 minutes to harden.
- Frost the entire pumpkin-shaped cake with the orange frosting, smoothing the seams. Create vertical stripes to mimic a pumpkin’s texture.
- Place the chilled chocolate eyes and mouth onto the cake. Add the chocolate-covered stem to the top and place the sour belt candy next to it as a vine.
Notes
- This recipe uses several convenient shortcuts, including a boxed cake mix and instant pudding, to focus on the fun decorating aspect.
- The unique method of cutting and rearranging a round cake layer is a clever way to create a pumpkin shape without a special pan.
- The jack-o’-lantern’s facial features are made separately from chocolate and chilled, making them easy to place on the finished cake.
Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/jack-o-lantern-cake/