Our contributor, Miso of Miso Bakes, is back this month with a rustic cake perfect for Autumn…

Autumn is officially here!  It is time to bring out my spice jars and put a generous sprinkling of cinnamon on everything I bake! : )  I am so excited to bake with tons of apples and pumpkins this season.  What will I be baking with them?  Pies, pies, and more pies.  Even just thinking about it makes me squeal in excitement.

My favorite pie just so happens to be pumpkin pie.  I can eat it all day everyday!  Summer included!  The silky texture, the nuttiness of the pumpkin, and the marriage of spices always leave my heart smiling.  Not to mention, the pie leaves the whole house smelling divine.  What is your favorite pie?

Speaking of pumpkins, I will be providing a recipe and tutorial, as well as a ‘trick’, in making what may be one of the easiest pumpkin shaped cakes in the world!  Some of you may already know this ‘trick’ and I apologize if you do, but I found out recently via a random lady at the grocery store and cannot wait to share it with you!

So, what is the simple trick?  It is to use two bundt cakes stacked on top of one another!  Clever, right?  By the way, did I mention what type of cake we would be making?  Silly me!  We’ll be making a Pumpkin Bundt Cake filled with Chocolate Ganache!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake
This makes 1 cake. You will need 2.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven at 350F and butter a 10″ bundt pan.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color using the paddle attachment.
3. With the exemption of the eggs, in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin and buttermilk) together.
4. In another bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients together.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, to the creamed butter and sugar.
6. Divide the dry ingredients into thirds and wet ingredients into half, and incorporate into creamed mixture.  Starting and ending with the dry.
7. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Or, until inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache
You need 1 batch. If you love chocolate, you can make 2.

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 ounces heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Bring cream to simmer in pot over stove.
2. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for a minute.
3. Mix with spatula until smooth.
4. Add vanilla extract.
5. Let ganache sit on counter until it sets. (It should be soft, but not soupy– kind of like buttercream!)

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
You need 1 batch.

6 egg whites (8 ounces)
1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk egg whites and sugar in a glass or stainless steel bowl over a pot of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water or your eggs will scramble!
2. Whisk until the egg whites feel warm to touch (110F) and no grain of sugar can be felt.
3. Pour egg mixture to a clean stand mixer bowl.
4. Using a whisk, beat on high until about room temperature.
5. When meringue is nice and fluffy, throw in pieces of butter a little at a time.
6. Whisk until nice and silky.

Whew!  Now that all is baked and made are you ready to compose the cake?  Wait, what was that?  You want to call it a day?  Well, that is completely fine too!  Wrap your cooled cakes in plastic wrap and stick them in the fridge.  Since the weather has cooled significantly, you may let your buttercream and ganache sit on your kitchen counter overnight.  Just make sure to re-whip your buttercream.  For those of you that want to continue, here we go!

Take your cooled bundt cakes and torte each in half.  It is important to torte them when they are completely cool or the layers will indeed shrink and not align.  Spread a very thin layer of ganache in between each layer. You want it to be thin so it does not over power the flavor of the cake.

For the stem, you may use a upside-down green flat-bottomed ice cream cone, or you may make a stem out of fondant or gumpaste. You can dry the stem out completely, or have it be partially firm so you can mold it on your cake. I chose to do a latter and put a paper cup (upside-down) in the cavity of the bundt so the bottom of the cup holds the stem up. I made the stem white, but colored it brown with a little bit of coffee extract.

Crumb coat your cake. (My buttercream was tinted a pale tan color. I used a few drops of coffee extract.) Your cake should now look like this:

Now to decorate your cake! You may choose to use whichever round tip your little heart desires!  What do you think? The picture needed some color so I used a pomegranate as a prop for some color.

Now that your hard work is done, enjoy a slice!

The pumpkin cake, chocolate ganache, and extremely light coffee buttercream, is indeed a unique flavor combination, but it’ll leave your taste buds happy. The pumpkin and spices will hit your taste buds first, followed by the ganache, and lastly, the coffee as you swallow. Okay, so maybe you didn’t need that much detail. ; )

Happy October and Autumn everyone!

	Miso Bakes Miso is a monthly contributor for The Cake Blog. She is a talented pastry chef with a big passion for cakes. Read more about Miso on her bio page.

My family and I are on the move this week.  Literally moving across the country!  While we pack, load and spend way too many hours in a car over the next few days… some very talented ladies will stop in with guest posts!  Our friend Brittany over at Edible Details has created a frightfully fun Halloween tutorial for us today.  In a few simple steps, your ordinary cupcake will be mummified!  Another great way to spook up your Halloween treats that’s quick, easy and fun for all.  Check out these super cute, Pudgy Mummy Cupcakes!

Pudgy Mummy Cupcakes

Tools:
Cupcake & Icing
Piping Bag with Large Round Tip
White & Black Fondant
Rolling Pin
Knife

Instructions:

1. Using a thicker icing (about the consistency of Creamy Peanut butter) Pipe 2 “Dollops” of icing onto your cupcake. (This as is would be a great base to turn into some cute ghosts!)
2. Roll fondant out to about 8″ long and about the thickness of a toothpick.
3. Cut fondant into strips and wrap around your icing. Let the ends fall below the icing line and leave the little icing curl exposed at the top for added cuteness!  NOTE: Be sure to leave an open patch of icing in the middle for the mummy’s eyes.
4. For the Mummy Hands: Roll out 3/4″ long balls of fondant and cut 3-4 slits into the fondant to create fingers.
5. Press hands into the icing below the wraps.
6. Make two little beady eyes out of the black fondant and place on the exposed icing.

Your mummy is ready for the party!  A huge thank you to Brittany at Edible Details for creating such a fun tutorial for us!  Hope you enjoy her super cute, Pudgy Mummy Cupcakes this Halloween!  You can see more of Brittany’s edible fondant creations on the Edible Details Website and FaceBook Page.

Since we kicked off the Halloween season yesterday with a beWITCHing cupcake liner craft, I thought we’d continue on with the cupcake love.  Cupcakes are the perfect treat for children’s Halloween parties because they are pre-portioned and easy to serve {and clean up}!  Little ghosts and goblins love cupcakes, along with their parents.  Moms who don’t eat cake {gasp!} are often enticed by a cupcake.  While dads won’t hesitate to woof down two… three… ah, who’s counting really!  And after today’s post, you’ll have a super easy way to create wickedly cool cupcakes for your guests.

We are big fans of Brittany over at Edible Details and she has been busy in the kitchen creating the most frightfully fun Halloween cupcake toppers!  Honestly, they’re like little costumes for your cupcakes… such an easy way to transform any cupcake into a spooky treat!  Whether you start from scratch, break open a box or throw a dozen into your shopping cart, your cupcakes will look hauntingly good!  Take a peek at these edible Halloween Cupcake Toppers…

The black raven topper is so sleek and modern with its spooky silhouette.  And the witch’s hat with its curved tip and antique buckle could not be more charming!  And I’m really loving these black and white spider toppers below…

This next set has to be my favorite though… sassy colors, stripes and glitter!

Whether they adorn your homemade cupcakes or disguise some store bought goodies, these edible cupcake toppers will be the hit of the Halloween Bash!  A huge thanks to Brittany for sharing her Spook-tacular Halloween Cupcake Toppers with us!  You can see more of Brittany’s edible fondant creations on the Edible Details Website and FaceBook Page.

Quick Reference Links:
Website:  Edible Details
Be a Fan: Facebook Page

Before we jump into today’s post, I must apologize for the lack of posts in the last week or so.  I’ve been a bad blogger!  Some of it’s related to our upcoming move to Southern Florida.  Some of it’s related to on-going projects, that while amazingly fun, are time consuming and not ready to share.  Whatever the case, you’ve been neglected my friends.  So to make up for it, I have a fabulous Fall recipe to share today!

Remember last week when I mentioned that we took my daughter apple picking for the first time?  She had a ball!  Each apple was placed into our sack via her little hands!  Then, what was mommy to do with all of those apples?!?

Well, today I’m sharing one of the goodies that came from those apples.  Four delicious fall flavors, layered in a tall shot glass.  In this one little mini dessert you get all of the best flavors of Autumn.  Cinnamon, caramel, cream cheese and of course, apples!  It starts with a layer of cream cheese icing, topped with a layer of cinnamon swirl cake, topped with apples that have been sauteed and lightly caramelized, followed by another layer of cream cheese icing and finished with a drizzle of caramel sauce. While this recipe is not for the faint of heart, it is decadently delicious. So delicious that I will post the full blown, multi-step recipe along with a quick and easy (although not quite as good) recipe. Either way you slice it, I hope you enjoy my Caramel Apple Cake Shooters.

Caramel Apple Cake Shooters
(makes 20 shooters)

For the Cinnamon Swirl Cake:

1. Start with your favorite basic white cake recipe.   If you don’t have a favorite recipe, try this one from Martha Stewart or even use a box mix. (Gasp! It’s okay to take a short cut because their are sooo many steps to these little treats.)
2. Pull out several tablespoons of batter and mix in tablespoon or more of cinnamon until the batter is a nice light brown color.
3. Pour white cake batter into pan(s).  Using a knife, swirl cinnamon batter through white cake batter.  Bake as directed for a 9-by-13-inch pan.
4. Once cooled, cut cake in half horizontally, creating two layers approximately one inch in height.  Using a cutter the same size as your shot glass (or one of the actual glasses) cut out circles of cake and set aside for layering.

For the Caramelized Apples

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 sticks of unsalted butter
4 cups petite diced apples  (Granny Smith or another firm variety)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of salt

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water, and bring to a boil.
2. Lower heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.  Continue cooking 7 to 10 minutes, swirling pan occasionally, until amber in color.
3. Add butter and stir until melted.
4. Add apples, cinnamon and salt.  Stir and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and apples are tender.  About 10 – 15 minutes of bubbling away.
5. Remove from heat.  (Spoon off just a little of the caramel sauce to reserve for the final drizzle.)  Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.

For the Cream Cheese Icing

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, juice

Beat all ingredients with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Fill piping bag fitted with large round tip.

To Assemble

1. Pipe a small amount of cream cheese icing into shot glass, filling glass 1/4th of the way up.
2. Add a circle of cinnamon cake. Using a small rolling pin, clean finger or muddler, push cake down into glass until flush with icing.
3. Add 2 tsp of apple mixture.
4. Top with cream cheese icing until glass is full.
5. Drizzle with reserved caramel sauce, if desired.

Like I said, this recipe is not for the faint of heart!  But the results are delicious!  If you want to achieve a similar dessert without the time commitment, just simpify one or more steps along the way.  Swap out a layer or two with something pre-made.  Use store bought cake, icing or apple pie filling.  The end result will look just as impressive and will taste *almost* as good.  Besides, you do have a life to live outside the kitchen!

I hope you embrace the abundance of Autumn and try out my Caramel Apple Cake Shooters! Happy Friday everyone!!

	Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog. Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine, The Bride and Bloom, on DIYnetwork.com, TLC’s Parentables and more. Read more about Carrie on her bio page.

Half Baked is excited to announce the newest addition to our Top Tier Cake Directory!  This cake shop is seriously all about the fun!  From the talented team of bakers and cake designers to their mascot!  (Yes, you read that right… the shop mascot is known as Dr. Fresh.)  Most importantly, the fun comes to life in whimsical cake creations that are just downright delightful.  With big smiles, we are thrilled to welcome Amanda Oakleaf Cakes to our cake directory!

With a passion for art and a love of sugar, Amanda Oakleaf started her business in her one room apartment. Fast forward three years and now Amanda Oakleaf Cakes has a gorgeous storefront just outside of Boston.  Amanda and her insanely talented and dedicated team create cakes for every occasion.  From intricately sculpted designs to elegant displays, each creation is made entirely from scratch.  Every morsel of buttercream, fondant and gumpaste is made by hand.   From scratch!   With a hefty dose of hard work and talent, they’re creating cakes that both look and taste above the rest.

How incredibly adorable is this 3D golden retriever cake?!?  Sporting a Red Sox jersey, this little guy was actually the size of a real puppy.  As if he wasn’t charming enough, Amanda and her crew named him Frosting.  I think I’m in love with Frosting!  And check out the crazy details in this mammoth elephant cake…

On top of the stellar 3D designs, Amanda and her team create some lovely wedding cakes as well.  Now for some pretties…

You know I’m a huge fan of ombre cakes!  And I absolutely adore those ruffled flowers!  And this next cake makes such a dramatic statement with its black and white stripes and bold pop of red…

Ok… so I can’t mention the shop mascot and leave you wondering.  Here’s a little peek at the team and Dr. Fresh!  His hat reads “Vanilla Ice-ing”.  Ha!

I could not be more thrilled to have Amanda and her team as part of our Top Tier Directory! Show them a little love and check out their full listing in Top Tier.   See even more delightful designs on Amanda Oakleaf Cakes website, blog and Facebook Page.

Special thanks to Amanda and her team for joining us. We can’t wait to feature more of your spectacular work!

Quick Reference Links:
Website:  OakleafCakes.com
Be Inspired:  Oakleaf Cakes Blog
Be a Fan: Facebook Page
Top Tier Directory: Full Listing

A barbershop for a man is like a salon for a woman.  It’s a place to relax, socialize and be pampered (in a very manly way).  A place where a man can get a haircut,  a close shave and a good dose of guy talk.  Best of all, it can be a meaningful experience shared between father and son creating memories to last a lifetime.  What little boy doesn’t love spending special guy time with his dad?

Dawn Menon of Bee*s Knees Parties drew upon this concept to create the most charming third birthday party for her son.  Inspired by Reese’s love of the barbershop, Dawn incorporated everything from the classic red and white stripes to barber poles, scissors and swirly mustaches.  Featuring an adorable cake by The Hudson Cakery, this delightfully vintage Barbershop Birthday Party is a modern throwback to the golden age of barbershops.

A few thoughts from Dawn about the inspiration for this charming party:

“The theme was based on my son Reese’s love of the barbershop. It is always an outing where it is just he and my husband, and always ends with a lollipop. They go to a vintage style barbershop, which was a wonderland of inspiration. My party design aesthetic always consists of mixing vintage and modern. To help bring a vintage feel to the party, I was able to score some fantastic vintage barbershop decor items on Ebay. The talented Kellie of Two Pooch Paperie designed all of the paper goods, which added that clean, modern feel to the decorations.”

A few thoughts from Dawn about the adorable cake:

“When it came time to choose a cake design, I was excited to give Jennifer of The Hudson Cakery complete autonomy of concept and design. One of my client’s had The Hudson Cakery create a cake for their daughter’s Communion, and the cake was talked about for days after, so I knew my guests were in for a treat.

“When I first saw that cake, I honestly teared up. It exceeded all expectations, which, as a children’s event planner, can be quite high. The detail was amazing from the tiny mustchaces to the barbershop pole. And to bring it all together, Jennifer thoughtfully added little lollipops, which are my son’s favorite. Reese was a bit under the weather the day of his party, however when that cake came out, he was all smiles.”

We are all smiles too!  Love the concept, love the decor, love the cake!!  A very special thank you to Dawn of Bee*s Knees Parties for sharing her delightful Barbershop Birthday Party with us!

Vendors & Credits:
Party Design:  Bee*s Knees Parties
Cake:  The Hudson Cakery
Photography:  Two Girl Phototique
Cupcake Toppers:  Parker’s Flour Patch
Old fashioned Lollies:  Vintage Confections
All Printed Paper Goods:  Two Pooch Paperie

Summer might be coming to a close but there’s still time to enjoy the fresh berries that the season has to offer!  Today’s cake is a great way to do just that.  It’s a fresh and vibrant take on the oh-so-popular rainbow cakes!  Shaded blue, filled with lemon curd and topped with berries, this cake is the perfect combination of blueberry and lemon.  A treat for both your eyes and your mouth, check out this Blueberry Rainbow Cake created by Lisa Lundqvist of Sockerrus (a Swedish blog named Sugar Rush)….

I absolutely love the bright blue building into the deep dark blueberry top!  You could also do this cake in shades of pink, topped with raspberries for a gorgeous lemon and raspberry creation!

A few thoughts from Lisa about her cake:

“I wanted to create a simple and beautiful cake anyone can make at home. A cake that would take your breath away even though it doesn’t have any fancy decorations. The moist white velvet cake melts in your mouth and together with lemon curd and blueberries, it’s heavenly.  If you like lemon, you’ll love this cake.”

There might be six shades of blue in this cake, but it will make you feel anything but blue!!  A very special thank you to Lisa Lundqvist of Sockerrus for sharing her Blueberry Rainbow Cake recipe with us today!  Happy Baking!!

Blueberry Rainbow Cake

For the White Velvet Cake
135 gram egg whites (about 4 1/2 large egg whites)
240 gram milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
300 gram flour (plain)
300 gram sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
170 gram butter, soft
Blue icing color (I used Wilton sky blue and royal blue)
300-600 grams lemon curd (I used 300 grams for half a batch white velvet cake)
Blueberries

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together egg whites, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the soft butter and mix on low speed. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture and mix until well combined. Repeat twice.

For 3 layers: Divide the batter into three bowls. In the first bowl add a tiny drop of icing color. In the second bowl add two tiny drops and so on. Use 8-inch cake pans and bake in the oven for 25-30minutes.

For 6 layers: Divide the batter into 6 bowls. In the first bowl add a tiny drop of icing color. In the second bowl add two tiny drops and so on. Stir and pour into 6-inch cake pans (about 15 cm). Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean

For 12 layers or 2 small cakes: Divide the batter in 12 bowls. In the first bowl add a tiny drop of icing color. In the second bowl add two tiny drops and so on. Use 4-5-inch cake pans (10-12cm) and bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small spatula and invert cakes onto wire racks.

Place the layer who only had one tiny drop of color on a cake plate. Spread lemon curd with a spoon or small spatula over the first layer, make sure it’s well covered . Repeat process with the layer who hade two tiny drops of color and so on. Finish with a layer of lemon curd on the top and decorate with blueberries.

Vendors & Credits:
Cake & Recipe: Lisa Lundqvist of Sockerrus

Today’s featured cake is all about candy.  Literally!  It is covered in candy and is most definitely eye candy for you.  I must warn you though.  If you love peanut butter and chocolate, the cravings produced by this cake might just take over…. you may find yourself rummaging for change and heading to the snack machine!  Between the dark chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and an entire case of peanut butter cups, this cake is a Reese’s lover’s heaven!  Feast your eyes on this indulgent Peanut Butter Addiction Cake, created by Jennifer White at Cup A Dee Cakes in Georgia.

A few thoughts from Jennifer about this cake:

“The bride and groom asked for a very plain cake with lots of peanut butter cups. The cake itself was two tiers of a 3 layer dark chocolate cake with a layer of ganache, a layer of peanut butter buttercream and finished with chocolate buttercream.”

A few more thoughts from Jennifer about the design:

“For the peanut butter cup “decorations” we used a case of large, two bags of medium sized and two bags of mini’s. There were several imperfect candies that never made it to the cake! We started with a pattern, which you can see if you look hard, but ended up just using every space available to squeeze in more peanut butter cups.”

Oh my goodness, that looks delicious!  Somehow my whole wheat toast topped with organic nut butter did not do it for me for this morning… I want a piece of this cake!!  A very special thank you to Jennifer for sharing her outrageous Peanut Butter Addiction Cake with us. You can see more of her lovely cake creations on the Cup a Dee Cakes website and blog.

Vendors & Credits:
Cake: Cup A Dee Cakes