Jack-o-Lantern Cake

Check out this pan! It is another for Target by Wilton product and unique with the cut-outs for eyes, nose, and mouth! Imediately I thought of putting Jell-O in those empty spaces.

For this cake, I used Buddy Valastro's Vanilla Cake Recipe, that was on the Rachel Ray Show. This recipe makes enough batter for 2- 9 inch cakes, so I used half the batter for my Mummy Mickey Mouse Cupcakes and the other half for this cake! As the Cake Boss says in his recipe, I allowed the cake to fully cool and reach room temperature while in the pan. After the cake was fully cooled, I traced the pan onto cardboard, cut it out, and covered it in foil to make my cake board. I liked how the rise in the top of the cake turned out, so I left the top of the cake the top.

For the Jell-O inserts: I used the opposite side of the Jack-o-Lantern pan and greased the openings with Wilton Cake Release.  I mixed one 3 ounce size box of Lemon Jell-O with 1 cup of boiling water, stirring until fully mixed. I then poured the hot Jell-O into the pan and refrigerated for about an hour and half. After the Jell-O had set, I loosened the Jell-O shapes with a toothpick and they fell right out.

To insert the Jell-O shapes, I flipped the cake over using another cake board covered in waxed paper and inserted the Jell-O pieces and then flipped it back over onto the first cake board.

I initially tried to use the Wilton #2010 Triple-star tip for the stars on the cake. I found the Triple-star tip difficult to use in tight spaces and around edges. After piping the stars on the side, I switched to Wilton star tip 17 (roughly the same size stars), it is actually much easier to use than piping 3 at a time and it looks a lot nicer!

The vines are with tip 4 and the leaves are tip 352.

Shaped pans are a really easy way to make fun looking cakes for any occasion!

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This cake is shared with:
Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style
Alli N Son: Sweet Tooth Friday
Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday
Mangoes and Chutney: Fat Camp Friday
Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin' It
A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Blissful and Domestic: Let's Party!
The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials

This cake is feature at:
Blissful and Domestic: Linky Party Features

Mummy Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

Made with Buddy Valastro's Vanilla Cake Recipe!

I love all things Disney! I especially love Mickey Mouse! When I saw this design from Disney Family Fun, I knew I had to make it, waiting for Halloween was the hard part! Of course I am always making changes to things, either to make it easier or to use supplies I already have.

Not only am I excited about making these Mummy Mickey Cupcakes, on the Rachel Ray Show (October 3, 2011 Episode), she announced she is forming an "All Star Team" to offer things she doesn't do herself. Supernanny- Jo Frost and Cake Boss- Buddy Valastro were the guests! Talk about ALL STARS! They are both great! Buddy shared his Vanilla Cake Recipe. The recipe is right there, click on it, print it, frame it! The only change I made to this, was not really a change, but something he did on the show that isn't noted in the recipe. He put half butter and half oil, so that is what I did! Following the directions exactly, this recipe involves a lot more mixing than other recipes, which is what Buddy says makes a "luxurious mouth-feel in the final cake." I could tell right off that the batter was smoother than any batter I have ever mixed and it tasted great! I was beginning to wonder if there would be enough batter left to make the cake! (Note: You are not supposed to eat raw cake batter with raw eggs in it, and you could get salmonella or something and get sick or die...so I do not condone this horrible activity! Do as I say, not as I do! Ahahahahaa! <----that is my scary cackle!)

Can you taste it?

Back to the regularly scheduled blog post:

Buddy's recipe makes 2- 9 inch rounds. I am using it for 12 Mummy Mickey Cupcakes and a Jack-o-Lantern Shaped Cake. The cupcakes were done in about 18 minutes. They peeled easily, didn't leave greasy liners, and had a perfect sponginess. I have NEVER had a homemade cake with such great texture. It is like a soft sponge...maybe that is why he calls his cakes "sponge" on the show? Hmmm...that's some cake for thought! Pillowy perfectness! I seriously can't believe this came out of my oven! Yummmmy! This is why Buddy Valastro is Cake Boss! Well, that and he can decorate the heck out of some cakes! And here I am making Mummy Mickey Mouse Cupcakes!

 
Let's get on with the cupcakes already:

Supplies:

cupcakes

white icing

Brown M&M'S

Dark Chocolate Candy Melts (Wilton)

a piping bag

tip 47 (Wilton)
 

Spread a thin layer of white icing on the cupcake. Place 2 M&M'S for eyes and 2 Candy Melts for ears. Fit your piping bag with tip 47 and fill the bag with the white icing. Tip 48 would work as well, but 47 gives you the option for smooth bandages if you want to try that. Begin piping your bandages!  It is helpful to pipe a bandage over the bottom edge of the ears and the top and bottoms of the eyes for stability. When the cupcakes are all done, the edges will look a little rough (as in the picture right above) so with a spatula or your finger, smooth the edges of the bandages even with the side of the cupcake.

These are easy enough for kids to make and yummy enough for grown-ups to appreciate!
Now, I still have a Jack-o-Lantern Cake to decorate!

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These Cupcakes are shared at:
Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Around My Family Table: Turning the Table Thursday
Talking Dollars and Cents: Sweet Temptations
Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday
Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style
The Southern Institute: Creative Me Monday
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday
Blissful and Domestic: Let's Party!
Life in the Motherhood: The Great Halloween Link Up
Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration
It's A Blog Party: Show Me How