Surprise-Inside Candy Corn Cake

It’s no trick! Filled with a jumble of Halloween candy, our mix-easy layer cake is a real treat.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. white cake mix
• 3 egg whites
• ⅓ cup oil
• 2 tsp. + 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• Orange and lemon yellow concentrated food colorings
• 2½ cups butter, at room temp.
• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar, from 2 (16 oz.) pkgs.
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• ½ cup candy, such as candy corn, Mellowcreme pumpkins and Reese’s pieces

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Coat 3 (8”) round cake pans with cooking spray. On low speed, beat cake mix, 1 cup water, egg whites, oil and 2 tsp. vanilla; on medium, beat 2 minutes. Divide batter among three bowls. Tint one bowl orange and one bowl yellow with food colorings, leaving remaining untinted. Transfer batters to separate cake pans. Bake 18-20 min. or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool on racks 20 min. Transfer from pans to racks; cool.
2. On medium, beat butter until fluffy, 2 mins. On low, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, then sour cream and remaining 1 Tbs. vanilla until combined. On medium-high, beat until light and fluffy, 2 min. In separate bowls, tint 1½ cups frosting orange and ¾ cup frosting lemon yellow with food colorings. Transfer to separate pastry bags each fitted with medium star tip (such as Wilton #1M). Transfer 1½ cups untinted frosting to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. 
3. Using 2¾” round cutter, cut out center of orange cake layer. Place yellow cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1 cup of remaining untinted frosting. Top with orange cake layer. Fill center with candy, as shown. Spread with ⅔ cup of remaining untinted frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread top and side with remaining untinted frosting. Starting from bottom of cake, pipe 1 row of yellow frosting around side of cake. Repeat with 2 rows orange frosting, then untinted frosting on edge and top of cake.