Candy Corn Chocolate Cakes

These fun, festive cakes are simply adorable! Chocolate cake is baked in round cake pans, cut into wedges, frosted and decorated to resemble candy corn.

Recipe Ingredients:

Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (2-pound) package powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange paste food coloring
Yellow paste food coloring

Cooking Directions:

1. For Cake: Beat first 6 ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Stir in buttermilk.
2. Stir together 1 cup hot water and baking soda; stir into batter. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
4. Freeze layers 30 minutes. Cut each layer into 8 wedges.
5. To Decorate: Pipe frosting on top and sides of cake wedges to resemble candy corn. Using a medium star tip, pipe white frosting on the small end of each cake, yellow frosting on center, and orange on wide end.
6. For Buttercream Frosting: Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add milk, beating until spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.
7. Reserve 3/4 cup frosting for the white. Stir orange food coloring into 1 1/2 cups frosting. Stir yellow food coloring into 1 1/4 cups frosting. Makes 3 1/2 cups frosting.

Makes 16 servings.