Carved Pumpkin Cake Food

CARVED PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• For the buttercream: Place the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
• Sift the powdered sugar if needed. Add the sugar to the bowl 1 cup at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated, and then increase the speed to medium-high and allow to double in volume and lighten in color. Add the vanilla and salt. Stream in a little oil at a time until the buttercream is smooth and light. Use immediately or store at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated for a week.
• For the cake: Separate the buttercream into 3 bowls and color one yellow, one orange and one dark orange. Place the colors into piping bags and cut the tip.
• Remove your cake from the freezer and place on a turntable cake stand. Ice the cake with a layer of the yellow icing. If the icing stiffens from the chill of the cake, then you are ready for the next layer of icing. If the icing is still soft, place the cake in the freezer and allow to set, about 1 hour (or overnight in the refrigerator).
• Once the yellow layer is hard, ice the cake in light orange and follow the same steps as the first layer.
• Ice the cake in the final layer of dark orange and place the cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days until you are ready to carve.
• Once the cake is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and start carving. You can use a stencil of a cake found online or in a pumpkin carving book or from your imagination. Have fun and be creative. Involve your kids or carve with friends.

LUSCIOUS FOUR-LAYER PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.
• Bake 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading COOL WHIP mixture between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts.

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CAKE

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.