Candy Corn Cake

No need for any hocus pocus to conjure up our magical masterpiece, thanks to packaged cake mix and our fast-from-scratch marshmallow frosting.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. white cake mix
• 3 egg whites
• ⅓ cup oil
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 1½ cups butter, at room temp.
• 3 cups Marshmallow Fluff (from 16-oz. cont.)
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• Orange and yellow concentrated food colorings
• ½ cup candy corn

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 (8”) round cake pans with cooking spray. On low speed, beat cake mix with 1 cup water, egg whites and oil until blended, 30 sec.; on medium, beat 2 min. Stir in ½ tsp. extract. Evenly divide between pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 22-25 min. Cool on rack.
2. On medium speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, 2 min. On low, gradually beat in Fluff until combined. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and remaining 1½ tsp. extract until combined; on medium-high, beat until light and fluffy, 1-2 min. Transfer 1½ cups frosting to separate bowl; tint orange with food coloring. Transfer ½ cup white frosting to another bowl; tint yellow with food coloring. Transfer ½ cup orange frosting, ½ cup yellow frosting and ¼ cup white frosting to separate pastry bags fitted with small star tip (such as Wilton #22).
3. If necessary, trim cake layer tops to make even. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1 cup of remaining orange frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread top and side with remaining white frosting.
4. To decorate: Hold the pastry bag filled with yellow frosting perpendicular to the cake at the outside edge with the tip just above the cake’s surface. Gently squeeze out frosting as you pull tip up and away from the surface. Release pressure on the bag and pull the tip away to form star shape. Repeat to create 2 rows of yellow frosting stars around cake top. Repeat with orange frosting to create 3-4 rows, then fill center with white frosting stars. Press candy corn along bottom edge of cake, alternating the direction with each piece.