While standing at the checkout line of a store a few weeks ago, I saw a Family Circle magazine, I loved the pumpkin looking thing on the front cover. I pulled out the magazine to see what it was… to my surprise it was a cake. I had to buy the magazine because I had to make the cake. Although we are spending Halloween with my dad and there will only be the three of us I knew I had to make this cake.

A little secret from my kitchen, I ALWAYS use salted butter in my recipes, and always omit the salt. The only time I add salt to a recipe is if it has no butter in it.

Because I woke up at 4am thanks to pregnancy induced insomnia and decided to make this cake, I read it as 1 cup of pumpkin instead of one can. This still tasted good, but I bet it would be a little more moist with the full amount of pumpkin. But how can you beat the cuteness?

M&M’s Pumpkin Cake (From: Family Circle Nov, 2009)

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 5eggs
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• Orange gel food coloring
• 2 cups orange M&M’s
• 34 yellow or brown M&M’s
• 1 chocolate-covered candy bar

Heat oven to 350. Coat two 1.5 liter Pyrex bowls with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix the pumpkin, milk and vanilla in a small bowl to blend.

Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the pumpkin mixture, ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared bowls. Bake at 350 in the center of the oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until and a toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Transfer bowls to wire rack and cool 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks and remove bowls; cool completely.

Trim the top of the cakes with a serrated knife to make level. Tint the frosting orange with the food coloring. Place One cake later cut side up on the serving platter. Spread the cure side with 1/2 cup of frosting. Place the other cake layer on top, cut-side down. Trim any excess to make round.

Spread a thin layer of frosting on  the cake, put brown or yellow M&M’ for the face, and then cover the rest of the pumpkin with orange M&M’s.

Cut the candy bar in half crosswise on the diagonal to fashion a stem. Make a small hole in the top of the cake and press the candy bar half, cut-side down, into the top of the cake for the stem. Refrigerate to firm frosting.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 9:04 pm and is filed under Cake, Dessert. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.