Dig into a dirty, creepy crawly Halloween cake
Full of favourite fall flavours, this delicious treat is sure to keep away any tricks
You may be too old to trick-or-treat but you’re always the right age to make a ghoulish Halloween cake.
Pumpkin Maple Bundt Cake
Star Tested Fall flavours of pumpkin and maple and Halloween creepy crawlies unite for a fun cake, adapted from Foodland Ontario. If you like, roast an Ontario pie pumpkin and purée the flesh. 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose
flour
2 tsp (10 mL) each: baking powder, ground cinnamon 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each: ground allspice, ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp (1 mL) kosher salt 3/4 cup (175 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup (175 mL) packed light brown
sugar 3/4 cup (175 mL) pure maple syrup 3 large eggs 1-1/4 cups (310 mL) pure pumpkin (canned or cooked and puréed) 2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla Toppings: 1 cup (250 mL) sifted icing sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) milk + more if needed Red + yellow food colouring
1 cup (250 mL) chocolate or Oreo
baking crumbs
About 12 to 16 gummy worms
Spray 10-inch (3L) Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg and salt.
In large bowl, using electric mixer on high, beat butter, sugar and maple syrup until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1at a time, until smooth. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla until smooth. In 3 additions, stir or beat in flour mixture on low until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake in preheated 350F (180C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool completely on rack.
For toppings, in small bowl, whisk icing sugar and 2 tbsp (30 mL) milk until smooth. Whisk in several drops of red colouring and at least 8 drops yellow food colouring to tint orange, adjusting as needed. If icing doesn’t seem pourable, add a little more milk,1tsp (5 mL) at a time. Pour icing over cooled cake. Let stand 10 minutes to harden.
Fill cake centre with chocolate crumbs to resemble “dirt.” Place gummy worms in a pile on top of “dirt.”
Makes 12 to 16 servings. jbain@thestar.ca