Recipe(tried): Halloween Pumpkin Head Cake

Title: Recipe(tried): Easy cake mix "Halloween Pumpkin
Head Cake"...another winner!
Posted By: Colette/Nfld/Can
Date: October 23rd 1998
Board: Holiday Cooking Club Do you have 1 or 2 bundt pans, a soup can and some
packaged cake and icing in the pantry? Well, with this
recipe, that's all you'll need! I've had rave reviews over
this one at Halloween time!! Try it. The directions may
look long, but it's only because I've included lots of
detail so your first will be a success. HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN HEAD CAKE:

Ingredients:

2 boxes of cake mix (your choice of flavour)
ingredients that are outlined on your cake packages
2 - 3 cans of white icing (already prepared)
brown food coloring paste
orange food coloring paste
green leaf food coloring paste
2 dark chocolate bars (milk choc. will also do)
almond paste (check the xmas section of your bakery
or supermarket)

Other Supplies:

1 or 2 bundt pans (these already have the grooves right
in the pan)
1 empty small soup can (the top lid removed)
a lazy susan or high cake platter to use for ease in
decorating....
vegetable cooking spray (such as pam, etc.)

Directions:

1.According cake package directions, prepare batter
for one cake, if you only
have one bundt pan, (remember...you'll need to make a
second cake later in the day) or the batter for two cake
mixes if you have two of the pans. . Do not substitute a
tube pan as you need the curve and grooves the bundt
pan gives to the cake. RESERVE enough batter to be
baked in the empty soup can.

2. Spray the bundt pans carefully with the vegetable
spray ie. pam., etc. and Bake according to time and
oven temperature as per cake box directions. Let
cakes cool on wire racks. Spray the soup can and
pour in cake batter 2/3 full. Bake this small cake for 15
minutes or so.

3. With a sharp knife, cut the bottom (ie. curved part)
off the first cake so that this becomes the bottom of
the pumpkin head. This will ensure the head doesn't go
rolling off the cake platter!!! We'll call this your HEAD
BASE. Lay this onto your cake platter or lazy susan
and get ready to decorate!

4. Next, take your 2 cans of icing and tint it with
orange food coloring paste until it becomes a pumpkin
orange color (do not use liquid food color as you
cannot get the deep orange color needed with it)
RESERVE some icing to make a brown color for the
stem of the pumpkin head (the soup can cake)

5. Following #4 step, ice the top of your HEAD BASE
cake with a thick layer of the orange icing. Next, take
the second bundt cake and lay it upside down on top
of the HEAD BASE cake.....Now it should start looking
like a pumpkin head!
DO NOT cut any part of this cake....You're doing great!
Easy eh!

6. Next, with a 1 inch long metal spatula or you can
use something similar, start placing the orange icing
onto the entire cake, going in vertical (up and down)
strokes to follow the groove marks of the bundt pans. A
little extra icing may be needed where the two bundt
cakes join in the centre to give that "whole" look

7. When finished icing the head, use a smaller knife to
ensure the orange icing is deep into the grooves of the
top of the cake and looking smooth in appearance.

8. Next take your soup can cake and cut in half or to a
size that you would like for your stem. Next take your
brown tinted icing and ice the sides and top of it.
Then place it at an angle so it sits into the top of the
cake where the grooves come together. Smooth out
fork marks in your icing.

9. There...the head is done..Now chill it while you're
doing the next step.....

10. Lastly, take your chocolate bars and laying them
onto waxed paper, microwave them until slightly
soft...about 15 sec. or so. Then starting at a corner,
cut a triangle of chocolate (cut a v-shape) . This will be
its eye. Repeat and cut more v-shapes for his second
eye and nose. Place and press into place on your
pumpkin head cake. They will look like triangles.
Continue and cut another 5 or 6 v-shapes for the
mouth. Place these on the pumpkin head to form a
smile, smallest points of chocolate v-shapes upwards
to make his mouth.... These will look like upside down
triangles. There....he looks fabulous....Now just one
more step!

11. Tint your almond paste (room temp.) with green
leaf paste food color and knead into it until uniform in
color. Next roll almond paste out and with a sharp
knife, with free hand, cut out three leaf shapes, about 3
inches or so. They don't have to be fancy... Cut stem
lines into leaves. These leaves can all be different
sizes too. Place these near the base of the soup can
cake (the stem part of the cake. There You've done it!!!! He looks fabulous eh!
Now sit back, and wait for all those oooohs and
aaaaaahs! They'll think a professional cake decorator
did the job!!