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"This great pumpkin is perfect for a humongous autumn party."

humongous pumpkin cupcake

submitted by: Bright Ideas
  • Prep Time: 20 min.
  • Bake Time: 15-20 min.
  • Decoration Time: 25 min.
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Yield: Makes 26 cupcakes.

ingredients

  • 1 box (18.25 oz.) Devil’s food cake mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1½ cans vanilla frosting
  • Orange food coloring
  • 3 cups of Halloween M&M’S ® Brand Chocolate Candies, separated by color (2 cups orange M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies; 1 cup black M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies)
  • 3 12-cup cupcake pans
  • 26 paper cupcake liners
  • 1 18-inch cake circle, firm cardboard or platter

directions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the cupcake cups with the paper cupcake liners.
  • 2. Beat the cake mix with the eggs, buttermilk and oil until blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake pans.
  • 3. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
  • 4. Tint the vanilla frosting with the orange food coloring. Line the cupcakes snugly into a large pumpkin shape on the cake circle or platter. Follow this pattern—one row of 4 cupcakes, one row of 5, one row of 6, another of 5, another of 4. This leaves 2 cupcakes to be placed at the pumpkin’s top for a stem (use the photo as a guide).
  • 5. Spread orange frosting over the cupcakes, covering them completely so they look like one big cake. Use black M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies to outline the pumpkin, and to make the eyes, mouth and nose. Fill in any remaining area of the pumpkin with orange M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies.
  • Tip: There are several ways to get similar results. You can frost each cupcake individually with orange icing. Place the cupcakes in a pumpkin shape and then use black M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies to create jack-o-lantern facial features. You can randomly add orange M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies.
  • Tip: Finally, you can always use the top of any round layer cake as the pumpkin. Frost both the sides and top of the cake. Arrange black M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies to highlight the jack-o-lantern facial features, and then arrange orange M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies randomly over the rest of the cake to complete the face.

nutrition facts

  • Calories per serving 367
  • Total Fat 18 g
  • Saturated Fat 5 g
  • Trans Fat 0 g
  • Cholesterol 37 mg
  • Sodium 247 mg
  • Carbohydrates 50 g
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g
  • Sugars 40 g
  • Protein 4 g
  • Vitamin A 0%DV
  • Vitamin C 0%DV
  • Calcium 0%DV
  • Iron 0%DV