Pumpkin Shaped Mini Bundt Cakes

Ingredients

• 15 Ounces pumpkin purée (unsweetened )
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 3/4 Cups all purpose flour
• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 Cup dark brown sugar (packed)
• 2/3 Cup cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 1/4 Cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 pretzel rods (large)
• nonstick cooking spray
• 4 Ounces cream cheese
• 1 Cup butter
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/4 Cups icing sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Can frosting (white)
• orange food coloring
• green food coloring

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F

2. 2

   spray: Using a baking spray, spray each of the mini bundt molds.

3. 3

   --- Make the Cake Batter ---

4. 4

   mix: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla.

5. 5

   Sift in the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

6. 6

   mix: Once thoroughly combined, mix in the flour.

7. 7

   --- Bake the Cakes ---

8. 8

   fill: ​Fill each mold about ⅔ the way full.

9. 9

   Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

10. 10

    --- Cool and Trim Them ---

11. 11

    cool: Take the cakes out when they are fully cooked. Let cool for a few minutes then gently remove the cakes from the molds and let cool completely.

12. 12

    cut: Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut off any “dome” that may have formed while the cakes were cooking, you want the bottoms of all of the bundts to be completely flat.

13. 13

    --- Make the Cream Cheese Frosting ---

14. 14

    Mix together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer.

15. 15

    Add in the heavy cream and vanilla and continue to mix until fluffy.

16. 16

    pipe: Put the frosting into a Ziploc bag and seal the top. Snip off one of the bottom corners of the bag, and pipe the frosting onto the flat side of half of the bundts. You can use a pastry bag if preferred.

17. 17

    sandwich: Place one of the unfrosted bundts onto the frosted side of enough, creating a sandwiched pumpkin.

18. 18

    --- Make the Top Frosting ---

19. 19

    pipe: To make the top frosting scoop about a ¼ cup of the frosting into a small bowl and mix it with some green food coloring, place the now green frosting into a zip top bag, seal the top, and snip just a tiny little bit from the tip of one of the bottom corners of the bag - you will use this to pipe the curly vines onto the pumpkins.

20. 20

    --- Add the Orange Frosting and Pretzel Stems ---

21. 21

    mix: Microwave the remaining frosting for about 15 to 20 seconds, remove from the microwave and stir, you want a texture that will be easy to pour but not too runny. Mix in some orange food colouring to reach the desired orange colour. You can test if the frosting is runny enough or too runny on the back side of one of the pumpkins.

22. 22

    drip: Create a drip effect on each one of the pumpkins, making sure to cover the tops fully enough so that they slowly drip down the pumpkin a bit.

23. 23

    add: Finish the pumpkin by snapping off the end of a pretzel rod (it should be about 2 ½ to 3 inches long) and stick it down the center of the pumpkin to make it look like a pumpkin stem.