JELL-O Pumpkin Spice Filled Pumpkin Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. #SweetenTheSeason #CollectiveBias

Chocolate pumpkin shaped cake with JELL-O Pumpkin Spice Flavored Instant Pudding center and covered with orange cream cheese frosting will delight your kids this Halloween.

If you love fall and you love Halloween you are going to love this baking project and recipe. There is always a reason to #SweetenTheSeason especially if you shop for Kraft Foods baking products at your local Walmart Super Center Store. Have you been to one? They're gigantic and they have special sections just geared for Halloween ~ from the Baking Center to the aisles and areas with tons of costumes, make-up and anything to do with the holiday.
As I said Walmart has everything you need for the holiday. All you need is a little creativity and a budget-friendly celebration awaits you. I picked up all of my baking products from the Bake Center at Walmart and even the decorations for not a lot of money. Save time, save money, #SweetenTheSeason and make lasting memories with your kids.
The Bake Center is loaded with fun items for fall baking ~ whether you're creating something for Halloween or for Thanksgiving - it's all right here!

I absolutely had a blast conceptualizing and completing this cake. Were I proficient with fondant I probably would have used that medium to "frost" the cake - however I am not, so cream cheese frosting was used instead. The bundt pan is perfect for this pumpkin cake - but you need to make two of them to pull it off. So let's get to the recipe.

CAKE:

• 2 boxes of your favorite chocolate cake mix
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup oil

1. Follow manufacturer's directions on the box mixes. I made one cake at a time due to only having one pan.
2. Let your cake cool - for a few hours before moving on.

After your cakes have cooled, you are going to slice off the top of the cake. Now it was my first time doing this so I am going to give you a tip. Slice where the arrow is in the photograph below. I did not slice down far enough. Don't be alarmed - you won't waste what you cut off as I have something else you can do with the cake tops later in the post.

 FILLING:

• 1 box JELL-0 Pumpkin Spice Flavored Instant Pudding
• 2 cups cold milk

1. Make your pudding according to box directions - it is super easy and takes no time at all.

The pudding is unbelievably delicious and screams fall and I am so thrilled I chose it for the filling in the center. Add the pudding mix and then spread around with a spatula making it as even as possible.

You'll have more pudding than you need for the filling and don't despair because the rest get's used too!

FROSTING:

• 2 bars Kraft® Philadelphia brand cream cheese - softened
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 tbsp. milk

In a large bowl combine the cream cheese and milk and whip until smooth. Add in the vanilla and mix well then add in batches the confectioner's sugar. Again, mix well.


COLORING THE FROSTING:

• red food coloring
• yellow food coloring

I was surprised at how many "drops" of food coloring I would need. Lucky for me I have a husband who is not only a master carpenter but also a painter who understands color and blending. He actually was the one to guide me through getting the frosting to look more like the color of a pumpkin. Hint: you will use A LOT more red than yellow to achieve the color you want. Unfortunately I can't tell you how many drops; it's just something you'll have to play with until you're happy.

What also surprised me was that I had my frosting covered with plastic wrap while I was doing another task and over a period of time it darkened up a bit.

For the top I actually removed the very top of a sweet pumpkin to get the stem. For the eyes and mouth and nose I used some of the cake. To get the rib effect I used upward strokes.

Okay so now you have left over cake and pudding: what to make ~ a trifle of course! Layer in cake, some pudding, cake, pudding and top off with whipped cream and Halloween sprinkles from Walmart. If you want to make more than two mini trifles be sure to grab another box of JELL-O Pumpkin Spice Instant Pudding mix from the Bake Center. 

Now we haven't talked about those gems around the cake yet have we? I mean the Kraft Foods Jet-Puffed Pumpkin Spiced mallows. What kid doesn't like hot cocoa topped with marshmallows? These Pumpkin-Spiced Mallows are filled with fall flavor and they are adorable to boot. I lined mine around the cake so everyone could easily pick one or two or three or more off to add to our hot cocoa, or add some in a Halloween glass instead.

Make your tablescape fun and themed for the holiday. A little creativity and inexpensive items from Walmart will make it all so special! Kraft Foods and Walmart = making great memories with families and friends.

For all of your baking needs trust Kraft Foods and be sure to check out all the wonderful recipes on their site. I am curious. Will you be making a pumpkin cake also or another dessert from the Bake Center at Walmart? What did you find interesting to make at Kraft Foods?