Spooky Spiderweb Cake

Weave a web of delight when you serve up this scary-good centerpiece.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 oz. cream cheese, at room temp.
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2½ cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 (4.25 oz.) tube black decorating icing, fitted with writing tip
• Plastic spider and black and orange M&M’s

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (9”) round cake pans. On low speed, beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, buttermilk and butter until combined, 30 sec.; on medium, beat 2 min. Evenly divide batter between pans. Bake until pick inserted into centers comes out clean, 20-24 min. Cool in pans on rack 10 min. Transfer from pans to racks; cool.
2. On medium, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy, 2 min. Add cream and vanilla; on high, beat until stiff.
3. Using serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half crosswise. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with second cake layer and 1 cup frosting. Repeat with third cake layer and 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer; spread top and side with remaining frosting. Pipe icing web on cake top; pipe icing spiders on side. Garnish with plastic spider and M&M’s. Remove plastic spider before serving.