Jack-O'Lantern Halloween Cake

To make this recipe you’ll need a large Bundt cake tin. I used the classic Bundt cake tin from Williams Sonoma. It’s quite large. If you’re using a small cake tin, halve the recipe. Use a pastry brush or paper towel to coat the inside of the cake tin with melted butter. Then dust with cocoa powder. Turn the cake tin over into the sink or a baking tray and tap gently to get rid of excess cocoa powder. Set aside.

A note before you begin – This cake is made of two bundt cakes stacked on top of each other which means you’ll need to make two cakes. The measurements listed in the ingredients list are for one cake so you’ll need to double the recipe. It’s a lot of batter to make in one bowl, so bake the first cake, then make the second batch to bake the second cake.
Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140C / 285F (160C / 320F for no fan).
Combine dry ingredients - To a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, sugar, bicarb soda, salt and cocoa powder. Use a whisk to combine.
Add butter and eggs - While the mixer is on low speed, add the softened butter, one tablespoon at a time until it’s all in there. Then slowly add the eggs and allow to mix before slowly pouring in the milk. Allow to mix for 3-4 minutes then stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Mix for another 1-2 minutes
Bake - Add the batter into the prepared cake tin and use a spoon to spread around evenly and smoothen off the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, allow to cool for 10 minutes before flipping over onto a cooling rack. Carefully lift the tin to release the cake. Wash and dry the Bundt pan and make the second batch of cake to bake the second cake. Allow both cakes to cool to room temperature before using a large, serrated knife to carefully level off the bottom of the Bundt cakes.

Frosting to fill, crumb coat and coat the cake (2 batches) - To prepare the frosting add the orange food gel and mix until evenly coated.
Frosting for decorations (1 batch) – color 1/4 of the frosting green using green food gel. Add the cocoa powder and melted chocolate to the remaining 2/3 of frosting and mix until well combined to make chocolate frosting. Then halve that into a third bowl and add the black food gel and mix to make black frosting.

To crumb coat - Add a dab of orange frosting onto a 10-inch cake board or large serving plate. Add the first cake, curved side down. Then add some frosting on the flat side and spread around using an offset spatula. Add the second layer, flat side down. Cover the cake in a thin layer of orange frosting to trap any loose crumbs. Place in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.
Second layer - cover the cake in the remaining orange frosting and spread around evenly. Then, using the spatula start smoothing out starting from the bottom up the top to create multiple flat edges around the cake giving it the look of a pumpkin.
Pumpkin face - we’re going to do some ‘pumpkin carving’ here using a small spatula or knife. Begin by using a skewer to shape out where you’ll be carving the face. Then use the spatula or knife to carve away the frosting (not the cake). Take your time with this and be as neat as you can be. Fill in the carved out frosting with black frosting. Then spread around as flat as you can.
Stalk - Pipe the chocolate frosting on top of the pumpkin to create the stalk. Use a small spatula to smoothen out the sides.
Vines - Divide the frosting between two piping bags. One fitted with a leaf tip and the other with a small round tip. Pipe the vines first using the round tip. Then pipe little leaves around the vines and up the trunk.