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Pumpkin Patch Cake

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 1, 2012

Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Pumpkin Patch Cake

Ingredients

To make this cake you'll need:

2 recipes spice or chocolate cake batter (enough to make 4 regular cake layers or 2 Bundt cakes)Green, red, and yellow food coloring 4 cups easy vanilla buttercream

Before You Begin

For this cake, you stack two Bundt cakes, making sure that the flat sides are sandwiched together and the ridges are aligned. Orange buttercream frosting and a cupcake 'stem' are the finishing touches.

Instructions

  1. To make the cakes and stem: Prepare first recipe cake batter. Scoop 1/2 cup batter in standard-sized muffin tin; pour remaining batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake both on middle rack in 350-degree oven until toothpick inserted in center of each comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes for cupcake and 45 to 55 minutes for Bundt cake. Cool cupcake in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool Bundt cake in pan 30 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Repeat with second recipe of cake batter. Let both cupcakes and both cakes cool completely.
  2. To assemble and frost the pumpkin: Place 1/2 cup frosting in bowl and stir in two drops green food coloring to make frosting for stem. Stir two drops each red and yellow food coloring into remaining frosting, adding more until desired orange color is achieved. Use bread knife to level off domed top of cupcakes and even out bottoms of Bundt cakes. Assemble and frost cake as shown in sidebar.
  3. *Use our spice cake, chocolate cake, and easy vanilla buttercream recipes or use your own recipes.
Pumpkin Patch Cake

Pumpkin Patch Cake

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

To make this cake you'll need:

2 recipes spice or chocolate cake batter (enough to make 4 regular cake layers or 2 Bundt cakes)
Green, red, and yellow food coloring
4 cups easy vanilla buttercream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

To make this cake you'll need:

2 recipes spice or chocolate cake batter (enough to make 4 regular cake layers or 2 Bundt cakes)
Green, red, and yellow food coloring
4 cups easy vanilla buttercream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

To make this cake you'll need:

2 recipes spice or chocolate cake batter (enough to make 4 regular cake layers or 2 Bundt cakes)
Green, red, and yellow food coloring
4 cups easy vanilla buttercream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Bundt pans can be used to create cakes that look like anything from mountains to flowers. We wanted a Pumpkin Patch Cake recipe that looked like a convincing, life-sized pumpkin—but tasted like a cake. We used a bread knife to even out the bottoms of the Bundt cakes, ensuring a more even cake after assembly. And we colored our frosting with only a couple of drops each of yellow and red food coloring, adding more if necessary. We found that too much food coloring created an undesirable, dark orange color.

Before You Begin

For this cake, you stack two Bundt cakes, making sure that the flat sides are sandwiched together and the ridges are aligned. Orange buttercream frosting and a cupcake 'stem' are the finishing touches.

Instructions

  1. To make the cakes and stem: Prepare first recipe cake batter. Scoop 1/2 cup batter in standard-sized muffin tin; pour remaining batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake both on middle rack in 350-degree oven until toothpick inserted in center of each comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes for cupcake and 45 to 55 minutes for Bundt cake. Cool cupcake in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool Bundt cake in pan 30 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Repeat with second recipe of cake batter. Let both cupcakes and both cakes cool completely.
  2. To assemble and frost the pumpkin: Place 1/2 cup frosting in bowl and stir in two drops green food coloring to make frosting for stem. Stir two drops each red and yellow food coloring into remaining frosting, adding more until desired orange color is achieved. Use bread knife to level off domed top of cupcakes and even out bottoms of Bundt cakes. Assemble and frost cake as shown in sidebar.
  3. *Use our spice cake, chocolate cake, and easy vanilla buttercream recipes or use your own recipes.

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