Halloween Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix, batter prepared according to package instructions
• 6 cups Classic American Buttercream, divided
• 1¼ tsp Amoretti® Natural Pumpkin Spice O.S. Extract
• 1 tbsp Amoretti® Natural Orange W.S. Food Color
• 2 - 1 lb jars Amoretti® Massamoretti Rolling Fondant
• Amoretti® Daisy Yellow W.S. Food Color
• black fondant
• cornstarch, for rolling out fondant

• 3 - 8" cake pans
• gloves
• dropper
• rolling pin
• cake smoother

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray and line cake pans with parchment.
2. Divide the batter evenly between cake pans.
3. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool completely.
4. Mix Natural Pumpkin Spice Extract and Natural Orange Food Color into about ⅔ the buttercream.
5. Fill the cake with two layers of Pumpkin Spice Buttercream, save some for a bead border on the top of the finished cake.
6. Crumb coat the outside of the cake with remaining white buttercream and chill for two hours or overnight. You can also freeze the cake for 40 minutes or overnight.
7. Knead Massamoretti Rolling Fondant until soft. You will need approximately 24 oz. of fondant for an 8” cake that is 4” tall.
8. Roll out the white fondant to a 16” circle ⅛” thick and drape it over the cake, smoothing the top and sides and cutting the bottom edge to fit.

9. Wear gloves while coloring the fondant and keep unused fondant tightly covered as it will dry out quickly.
10. Add Natural Orange & Daisy Yellow Food Color to Massamoretti Rolling Fondant using a dropper, working each color into the fondant until you reach the desired shades.
11. Roll out the fondant and cut three strips for the top of the cake. One dark orange, one light orange, and one yellow.
12. Place the dark orange strip at the bottom, the lighter orange strip above that one and the yellow strip at the top. We placed them next to each other and rolled them together for a smoother transition. Use an 8” cake board to cut them to size in order to fit on top of the cake.
13. If your fondant is not tacky, gently brush a small amount of water onto the top of the fondant-covered cake so the colored strips will adhere. If your edges are not perfectly aligned with the top of the cake, a buttercream bead border will cover imperfections.
14. Knead the black fondant until it is malleable, roll it and cut out a haunted house design.
15. Brush a small amount of water onto the area where the house will be placed and lay it onto the top of the cake.
16. Using the orange, yellow, and black fondants combine the colors as you like and cut out pumpkins, black cats, bats, and trees and place them around the edge of the cake.
17. Cut a black fondant border ½” x 25” for the bottom of the cake and lay it on, lightly brushing the area with a tiny amount of water before placing the band onto the cake. Cut the band in two strips to make it easier to apply. Gently push the ends together at the seam with a fondant tool or the end of a thin paintbrush and a tiny amount of water.
18. Be advised that once you place your black items on the cake they cannot be moved or adjusted without leaving a black smudge on the white fondant! Some of it can be removed by “painting” it off with a damp paintbrush.
19. Pipe a bead border of Pumpkin Spice Buttercream around the top edge of the cake to finish.

• Baking the cake layers in three separate cake pans (instead of two) means a faster bake time.