Pumpkin Patch Cake Recipes

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.

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• After placing one Bundt cake flat side up on a cake platter and covering the flat side with 1 cup orange frosting, place the second Bundt cake flat side down on top of the frosting, making sure the ridges on both cakes align. Then place one cupcake cut side up in the hole of the Bundt cake and spread 1 tablespoon orange frosting over the top of the cupcake.
• Using a cake spatula, cover the entire cake with orange frosting.
• Run the back of a small spoon up the sides of the orange frosting every few inches to create pumpkin "creases.".