Wednesday, July 24, 2013

How to Carve a Pumpkin Cake

Carving a pumpkin cake is more efficient when bundt cakes are used because they are similar to a pumpkin shape. Pumpkin cakes can be elegantly placed as a centerpiece for autumn-themed desserts or they can be made into a casual and fun project. The bundt cakes create a more realistic look because they are rounded on the top and bottom and have ridges, similar to a pumpkin. Once you have carved the pumpkin cake, add as much detail as you like to the cake, such as leaves and vines, for a classy autumn theme. You can also add dripping blood and fangs for a scary Halloween theme. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Turn the two bundt cakes so that the flat bottom of the cake is facing up, just as they are before they are removed from the pan. Use a bread knife to remove any uneven surface from the flat side of the cake. Make the cakes as level as possible when they are stacked on one another.

Lay one 9-inch round cake on the flat surface and trim any uneven areas on both sides to make the top and bottom sides flat. To trim, run the bread knife horizontally across the top and bottom of the round cake. The cake may have a domed top from baking. The cake should be flat on both sides when you have finished trimming it. Cut a hole in the center of the cake using the cookie cutter.

Place the flattened 9-inch round cake on top of one of the bundt cakes so that the holes in the center match up. Turn the other bundt cake over on top of the other two cakes so that the rounded side is facing up. You should now have a stack of a bunt cake with the rounded side down, a flat 9-inch round and a bunt cake with the rounded side facing up so that they make a rounded cake with ridges.

Carve the face in the pumpkin by first cutting the eyes. Cut two right triangles with the acute angle facing up. Cut the triangles about 3 inches apart with the pairing knife by inserting the knife in the cake and slicing into the cake about 1 inch and gently removing each after it is cut. Cut a mouth about 4-inches wide below the eyes in a location proportionate to the size of the cake.

Push the pairing knife along the cut into each shape on the face. This will extend the opening of the cut to the hollow center of the cake. Cut each shape gradually, carving out about an inch at a time until you reach the center of the cake. Angle the cuts towards the center of the shape to make them gradually smaller as you cut through to the center opening.

Cover the cake in orange buttercream and leave the holes for the face and the hole in the top uncovered in icing. Coat the icing in all of the ridges on the cake to give it the texture of a pumpkin.

Spread icing along the inside of the face carving with black buttercream icing. Only spread icing in the first inch or less of the hole so that you cannot see cake exposed inside the hole. Do not ice so far that you block the hole to the center of the cake with icing.

Crack the glow stick so that it glows and place it inside the center of the cake. This will show through the carved face in a dark room.

Make the stem on the top of the pumpkin cake to cover the hole in the center. Cut a round piece of cake out of the other 9-inch round cake with the cookie cutter, about three to four inches in diameter. Stick four to five toothpicks in the round piece, evenly spaced. Cut five more round pieces out of the cake and stick them on top of the round piece with the toothpicks. When you reach the top of the toothpicks, stick four or five more toothpicks in the tops of the round pieces and build them up about six pieces tall.

Carve down the side of the round pieces to make it about 1 inch in diameter at the top and tapered off to about 3 inches diameter at the bottom. Curve the pile of round pieces as you carve it to resemble a stem. Remove any toothpicks that are sticking out the side and secure the pieces with more toothpicks through the center, if needed.

Place the stem cake on top of the cake to fill the hole in the top bunt cake and cover the stem in green buttercream icing. Fade the green icing into the orange icing on top of the bunt cake in a multi-point star to make it look like a real pumpkin.

Tips

- Use a pumpkin carving kit to trace any shapes or faces on the front of the cake.

- Make thin streaks of black icing down the sides of the pumpkin and fade it into the orange to make the pumpkin look more real. Add even more black around the carved face and fade it into the orange to make the face look dark and evil.

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