A few years back I turned a “Hallo Witch” cake from an old Baker’s Coconut advertising pamphlet into a glamorous witch cake. This year, I wanted to do a variation on the original and create a classic green-faced witch (with just a touch of glamour). The variations are endless. Which witch should I make next?
Happy Halloween!!!!
Simple Pumpkin Cake
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 8 or 9 inch square pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs and sugar on medium speed for a minute or two. Add oil and pumpkin and continue to mix until combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add all the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix just until the flour disappears. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool for several minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto wire rack to finish cooling before icing.
Basic Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or half & half
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla and cream and beat for another couple minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined and fluffy. Divide the frosting into 4 bowls in roughly these amounts: Dye the largest portion black, the second largest portion blackish-grey (or whichever hair color you prefer), the third largest portion whatever skin tone you’d like (green here), and a small amount purple for the lips. I also used a bit of store-bought fondant to make the stars and band of the hat.
Notes for Assembly
The measurements for which to cut the cake can be seen in the original image but you can adjust those measurements so that the cake fits your platter (I had to make my “hat” a little shorter) or if you want a more petite nose like I did for my glamour witch.
laretrorecipe.com 