The Great Pumpkin Cake

So I started this post on November 3rd, a perfectly reasonable amount of time after I actually made this cake.  Life is overtaking me!

On Halloween we headed to Hubby's parents' house for Sunday dinner.  His brother and sister-in-law were visiting from Virginia for the weekend and we hadn't seen them in a few months so we decided to make the trip for a few hours.  We hadn't done a family Sunday dinner in a very long time!  It was a great meal and so nice to see everyone.

I am on the Kraft recipes mailing list and received an e-mail on Friday night with Halloween recipes, and as soon as I saw the Great Pumpkin Cake I knew I had to make it for Sunday's dinner.  I had bookmarked this cake a long time ago but never made it, so this was a great reminder.  I later realized how awesome it is that I've gotten to a point in my cake decorating career that something like this is easy peasy for me and is something I can "whip up" on short notice.  I immediately had Hubby text his mom to tell her I would take care of dessert.  Kraft indicates "any cake flavor" for this recipe, so I searched their website for a good-looking pumpkin cake and used that.  I forgot to put in the chocolate chunks, but oh well.  It was still tasty!

Great Pumpkin Cake

originally from Kraft website for design and cake recipe

serves 16

Cake

1 pkg spice cake mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil -- I always substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil

4 oz (1/2 bar) low-fat cream cheese 

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

6 squares semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting

8 oz (1 bar) low-fat cream cheese

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter -- I always use unsalted butter when baking

4 cups powdered sugar

Red & Yellow Food Coloring -- I used liquid but you could also use paste

1 Comet Ice Cream Cone

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare cake mix as directed on package, adding only the water and oil (or unsweetened applesauce).  Add the cream cheese, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger.  Beat on medium speed until well blended.  Stir in chopped chocolate.  Pour into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. 

Bake 40 to 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 min.  Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. 

For the icing, beat cream cheese and butter in medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended after each addition. Remove 1/2 cup of the frosting; place in small bowl.  Add green food coloring; stir until well blended.  Spread half of the green frosting onto outside of ice cream cone; set aside.  Cover and reserve remaining green frosting for later use. 

Add red and yellow food colorings to remaining white frosting to tint it orange.  Spread onto cake to resemble pumpkin.  Invert ice cream cone in hole in top of cake for the pumpkin's stem.  Pipe the reserved green frosting in vertical lines down side of cake.