HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CAKES RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch.
• To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
• If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you’re making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Spray the inside of both halves of a sphere cake pan with baking spray. Set the round metal support rings on a baking sheet and place one cake pan, open side up, on each ring.
• Combine cake mix, eggs, water, pumpkin puree, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla pudding mix in a mixing bowl. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes.
• Evenly divide batter among cake pans.
• Bake for 55-65 minutes, turning pans 180 degrees after 45 minutes of baking until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
• Allow cakes to cool completely, then level them.
• Cut just enough off the rounded part of one of the cakes so it sits flat without rolling. Cut a cake round to fit that flat bottom surface and set the cake on it. Cut a shallow round well in the flat top of this cake.
• The other cake will become the top of the pumpkin pail. Cut a shallow round well in that cake to resemble the opening of a pumpkin pail.
• Freeze the cakes for 4 hours or overnight. Then remove cakes from freezer and fill the bottom cake's well with candy. Add a bead of frosting around the top edge of that cake, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the candy.
• Set the other cake on top. Carve so the sphere looks like a pumpkin.
• Color white frosting using orange gel coloring. Frost the entire cake, including the top well, with orange frosting. Smooth frosting, then place cake in freezer for about 30 minutes.
• Roll orange fondant out into a 14-inch round. Cut a 2-inch circle in the center. Place the fondant over the cake, lining up the hole with the well in the top of the cake.
• Smooth fondant, cutting off excess. Cut a circle of fondant to fit in the well. Cut a strip of fondant and attach it to the inside of the well. Fold the orange fondant that was used to cover the cake, over the strip.
• Use a fondant tool to create grooves vertically on the pumpkin.
• Roll out black fondant. Cut out two triangular eyes, one triangular nose, and one mouth. Attach to the orange fondant.
• Poke a lollipop into the center of the well so it's tall enough to attach to the handle. Poke a black licorice lace into each side of the pumpkin cake to create the handle. Attach the top of the licorice to the lollipop using some tape. Add more candy inside the top well.
• Serve!