Recipe(tried): Pumpkin Head Cake (using cake mix)

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!!