Ghost cake

Bake: 30 min. + cooling

Yield: 8 Servings

 

 

1 package white cake mix

2 eggs

1-1/3 cups water

 

FROSTING:

3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon meringue powder

1 cup shortening

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

1 package plain ready-to-use rolled fondant

Orange, black, red, brown and green paste food coloring

Additional clear vanilla extract

 

 

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour 2-1/4 cups batter into each of two greased and floured 6-in. round baking pans (discard remaining batter). Bake at 180° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

 

2. For frosting, in a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. In a large bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, combine the shortening, water and vanilla. Beat in sugar mixture (mixture will be stiff).

 

3. Using a serrated knife, level tops of cakes. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread 1-1/2 cups frosting over top and sides of cake.

 

4. Cut fondant block in half lengthwise so that one half is slightly larger than the other. Tint the larger half orange; set aside a small amount of orange fondant for pumpkins. Cover fondant with plastic wrap when not in use. On a clean work surface, roll out remaining orange fondant into a 14-in. circle. Slide an icing knife between fondant and work surface to loosen; transfer to cake. Smooth top and sides of cake. Trim any overlapping fondant with a pizza cutter.

 

5. For ghost: Form a 2-1/4 in. tall cone from white fondant; attach to cake with additional vanilla. Roll a 1/2-in. cube of fondant into a 6-in. circle. Drape over cone. Tint a small amount of fondant black. Form three small dots; attach to face of ghost.

 

6. For pumpkins, leaves and tendrils: Tint reserved orange fondant a darker shade of orange with red coloring. Using dark orange and/or white fondant, form five pumpkins; add imprint lines with a veining tool or toothpick. For stems, tint a very small amount of white fondant brown. Shape into stems; attach to pumpkins using vanilla. Tint a 1-in. cube of white fondant green. Roll out; cut five leaves with a 1-1/4-in. leaf-shaped cookie cutter.

 

7. For tendrils, using a pizza cutter cut remaining portion into thin strips. Carefully wrap strips around toothpicks; set aside to dry.

 

8. To finish cake: Carefully remove tendrils from toothpicks and attach to pumpkins using vanilla. Attach pumpkins and leaves to cake. Using shell pastry tip #18 and remaining frosting, pipe shell border along bottom edge of cake. Yield: 8 servings.

 

 

* Nutritional Facts

1 slice equals 920 calories, 34 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 48 mg cholesterol, 397 mg sodium, 148 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.