Description
Spooky Halloween magic comes alive with jack-o-lantern cake, a festive dessert perfect for seasonal celebrations. Pumpkin-inspired layers and creamy frosting create a delightful centerpiece that brings playful Halloween spirit to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base:
- 1 15.25 ounces (432 grams) yellow cake mix
- 1 3.4 ounces (96 grams) pumpkin spice instant pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) vegetable oil
Frosting and Decoration:
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks or 142 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (240 grams) marshmallow cream
- 3 cups (360 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons red food coloring
- 2 teaspoons yellow food coloring
Garnish:
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 long green sour belt candy
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the pans
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and coat two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, ensuring complete surface coverage.
- Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, and water in a large mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly until the batter achieves a silky, uniform consistency. Evenly distribute the mixture between prepared pans.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, monitoring until cake surfaces turn golden and a toothpick emerges clean when inserted. Allow cakes to rest in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
- Create frosting by whipping marshmallow cream and butter until light and airy. Gradually incorporate confectioners’ sugar, blending until smooth. Introduce red and yellow food coloring to transform the mixture into a vibrant orange shade.
- Using a double boiler, gently melt chocolate chips. Carefully pipe triangular eyes and a characteristic jack-o’-lantern grin onto parchment paper, then refrigerate until solidified.
- Sculpt the cooled cakes into a rounded pumpkin silhouette. Generously coat the cake with orange frosting, smoothing edges for a polished appearance.
- Delicately position chocolate facial features onto the frosted cake. Crown the creation with a green sour belt as a playful stem. Serve and delight in this festive Halloween dessert.
Notes
- Check cake doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center, which should come out clean with no wet batter.
- Soften butter and eggs at room temperature for smoother, more consistent cake batter mixing.
- Chill chocolate decorations briefly in the refrigerator to ensure they hold their shape when placed on the cake.
- Experiment with natural food coloring like turmeric or beet juice for a healthier orange frosting alternative.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg