Pumpkin Patch Cake Food

PUMPKIN CAKE GRAVEYARD

Steps:

• For the pumpkin cake: Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine 2 boxes of the pound cake mix, 1 stick of the butter, 4 of the eggs, 1 can of the pumpkin puree and 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice. Mix with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until blended, about 1 minute. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a wire cooling rack. Repeat the process to make a second Bundt cake.
• Once the cakes are cooled, level off the bottoms with a serrated knife so the cakes will sit flat. Place one of the cakes cut-side up and spread the vanilla frosting over it. Place the second cake, cut-side down, on top to form a pumpkin.
• For the glaze: In a medium bowl whisk together the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, milk and food coloring. (The glaze should be a bright orange color; add a few more drops of food coloring if needed.) The mixture will be very thick but still pourable. Place the pumpkin cake on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Slowly pour the glaze over the top, moving in a circular motion around the top of the cake and letting the glaze drip down the sides. Set aside until set, about 1 hour.
• Wrap some fruit leather around the green ice cream cone and press it into place upside down on the cake to form a stem. Dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar, place some fruit leather on top, and cut out a leaf with a leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Press the leaf into place on the cake near the stem.
• For the graveyard: Spray an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment; spray the parchment.
• Prepare both boxes of brownie mix according to the package instructions and pour into the prepared baking sheet. Bake according to the package instructions. Let cool completely, then remove from the pan and place on a large cutting board.
• Frost the top of the brownie sheet with the chocolate frosting. Slice about 60 of the chocolate ladyfingers in half crosswise. Press the halved cookies, cut-side down, side-by-side around the top edge of the frosted brownie sheet to form a fence. On one of the long sides of the brownie sheet, leave a 3-inch opening in the fence to create an entrance. Place 2 whole ladyfingers on either side of the opening to form the gate entrance. Place another whole ladyfinger on top of the two ladyfingers to make the top of the gate, using a little bit of frosting to adhere it.
• Cover the top of the frosted brownie with the crumbled chocolate cream-filled cookies to make dirt. Place the pumpkin cake in the center of the graveyard.
• To make the gravestones, place the rectangular cookies and vanilla wafer sandwich cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray both sides of the cookies with the silver spray food coloring.
• Use a knife to cut slits into the brownie to hold the gravestones. Carefully place the gravestones into the slits.
• Place the small candy pumpkins and marshmallow ghosts in the graveyard around the pumpkin. Serve immediately.

GREAT PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake in 12-cup fluted tube pan as directed on package. Cool in pan 10 min. Invert cake onto wire rack; remove pan. Cool cake completely.
• Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and butter in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Spoon 1/2 cup frosting into small bowl; stir in green food coloring. Spread half the green frosting onto outside of ice cream cone; set aside. Reserve remaining frosting for later use.
• Add red and yellow food colorings to remaining white frosting to tint it orange. Spread onto cake. Invert ice cream cone in hole in top of cake for the pumpkin's stem. Pipe the reserved green frosting in vertical lines down side of cake to resemble pumpkin.

PUMPKIN PATCH CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 9 mini muffin cups. Grease 9-inch square pan with shortening; lightly flour.
• Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Fill paper baking cups 3/4 full. Pour remaining batter into square pan.
• Bake cupcakes 12 to 15 minutes; bake square cake 25 to 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• Place one-third of frosting in small bowl. Add a few drops of each red and yellow food colors until light orange color is achieved. Frost mini cupcakes with orange frosting. Cover frosting completely with orange sanding sugar. Break pretzel sticks in half; press half pretzel into center of each cupcake. Press vertical lines into sides of each cupcake with toothpick to make ribs of pumpkin.
• Tint remaining frosting with green food color. Place square cake on serving plate or tray. Frost cake with green frosting. Designate 1 corner of cake to become back; cover corner with crushed chocolate wafers. Sprinkle wafers over center of cake, leaving some of green frosting showing at other edges of cake.
• Arrange mini cupcake pumpkins on top of crushed chocolate wafers. Sprinkle green edge of cake with green sanding sugar. Press small mint leaves onto pumpkin cupcakes near pretzel "stem." Arrange remaining mint sprigs between pumpkins to create appearance of vines. Store cake loosely covered.

PUMPKIN PATCH "DIRT" CAKE

Steps:

• Crush the cookies in 2 batches in a food processor. You'll need about 4 1/3 cups crumbs.
• Spread 1 1/3 cups crumbs over bottom of a 9-x-13-inch baking pan.
• Cut away cardboard packaging from 1 carton of ice cream with scissors. Slice ice cream crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds with a long knife. Arrange slices over crumbs, cutting smaller pieces to fill gaps. Cover ice cream with another 1 1/3 cups crumbs. Repeat with second container of ice cream, and top with remaining crumbs. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Mix frosting with enough green food coloring to make it bright green, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip. Arrange 3 double rows of pumpkins on top of cake and pipe vines connecting pumpkins. Freeze until ready to serve.

PUMPKIN PATCH POKE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare cake batter and bake in 13x9-inch pan as directed on package. Cool cake in pan 15 min. Poke deep holes in cake at 1/2-inch intervals, using end of wooden skewer or chopstick.
• Add boiling water to gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Carefully pour gelatin over warm cake.
• Beat pudding mix and milk in separate medium bowl with whisk 2 min.; spread over cake.
• Separate cookie halves; scrape off and discard creme filling. Crush cookies finely; sprinkle over pudding. Refrigerate 3 hours.
• Tint frosting with food coloring; spoon into small resealable plastic bag. Cut small piece off one bottom corner of bag, then use to pipe frosting onto top of cake to resemble pumpkin vines as shown in photo. Add pumpkin candies.

PUMPKIN PATCH POKE CAKE

Steps:

• Bake cake mix in a 9x13 pan according to package directions.
• Remove from oven and immediately poke holes over the top of the cake using a wooden dowel. Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely.
• Put chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture over the top of the cake, allowing it to fill in the holes.
• Spread the chocolate frosting over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the Oreo crumbs over the cake, making sure the frosting is completely covered.
• Tint white frosting with green gel food colouring. Transfer the frosting to a disposable piping bag and snip off a small tip.
• Pipe swirls of frosting on top of the Oreo crumbs to represent vines. Pipe triangle leaves on the vines, then Arrange pumpkin candies on top of the vines. Slice and serve!