Desserts for Fall: Crepe Ghost Cupcakes (No Fondant!!) and my Top 5 Halloween Cakes & Treats . . .

Now, I just love the look of those sweet little fondant ghost cupcakes, but I honestly am not a huge fan of the taste or texture of fondant!  So the amazing Stef over at  Cupcake Project worked it all out for us and created these darling Pumpkin Pie Ghost Cakes made from CREPES!

What's more, crepes are even easier to make than pancakes, so you get to have a little fun in the simplest kind of way.  And they end up super delicious too, which is the whole point, right?

Here's how it's done . . .

Pumpkin Pie Crepes


Ingredients:
~ 5 eggs
~ 3 tbsp sugar
~ 1 tsp vanilla
~ 2 C flour
~ 1 1/2 C milk (I typically use 2%, but whatever you have on hand will work)
~ 1 C water (I've used extra milk instead of the water and it just makes them a bit richer)
~ Several tablespoons of butter for the skillet

1.) In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except butter until there are no lumps.
Heat a skillet on medium (the size of your skillet for the perfect ghost cupcakes is 6 and 1/2 inches-you can find our favorite one HERE)

2.) When the skillet is warm, melt enough butter in it to coat the skillet.
Pour a ladle full of batter onto the buttered skillet and swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly over the entire skillet.

3.) Cook untouched until bubbles form in the crepe (about 1 minute).  Flip the crepe and cook for another minute.  Turn out onto a plate.

4.) Repeat steps 3-7 until all of your batter is used.  To speed things up, you can work two skillets at once.  It's not as hard as it sounds.


Now don't forget, you're going to need some tasty cupcakes underneath those crepes, with a delicious frosting to make these little guys as yummy as can be.  You can use your favorite cupcake & frosting recipe or you can use the one Stef likes (her Apple Cobbler Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting)

Pressed for time?  Go ahead and use a box of cake mix and a store bought frosting.  I'll never tell!  Just make your cupcakes, let them cool, give them a frost and lay your crepe right over the top, pressing down carefully to make them stick.  Then add two chocolate chip eyes and you are all set!

And as a weekend round-up, here is a little bonus of my favorite Halloween cakes & treats of the season . . .

The inspiration for our ghost cupcakes (these are made with fondant!)

Or stand them up!

Boo-tiful Ghost Cake; you can find out how to make this here: I Am Baker

Get the lowdown on how to do this spider cake HERE.

Love these little witches with chocolate ice cream cone hats?  Whip up a batch of these cupcakes by visiting HERE.

Ahh, now you just have to think of something you'll need cute desserts for, no?  Happy Haunting!

Tutorial Tuesday: Pumpkin Bundt Cake!

How clever & amazing is it that a bundt pan just so happens to have the same ridges as a pumpkin?  I mean, it is almost like destiny that you have the perfect mold for a fabulous & festive cake!  You can either make the whole pumpkin or just go halfsies and create a terrific top with a twirly stem, whatever floats your boat.  Before we start, a bit more inspiration . . .

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

~ 2 (18.25 oz.) pkgs. cake mix, any flavor

~ 2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

~ 1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, softened

~ 8 C. powdered sugar

~ 2 tsp. vanilla extract

~ pinch salt

~ Red, yellow, and green food coloring

~ Black paste food coloring (optional)

~ 1 flat-bottomed ice-cream cone (turned upside down to make the stem)

~ 2 bundt cake pans

Directions:

1. Prepare cake batters according to package directions and bake each as directed in a prepared (greased and floured) non-stick bundt pan. If you only have one bundt pan, simply make your cake mixes in two separate batches.

2. Let cool completely.

3. To prepare frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add powdered sugar in four stages, beating well with the electric mixer after each addition. (Feeling lazy? Simply use 2 tubs of packaged prepared frosting)

4. Seperate out about one cup of frosting. Add green food coloring to reach you desired shade of green.

5. Separate out another 1/4 cup of frosting. Add black paste food coloring to make black frosting. (This is for a Jack o Lantern face, and is optional.)

6. To the remaining frosting, add red and yellow food coloring (or simply buy orange), until you get your desired shade of orange.

7. The first thing you'll want to frost is your ice cream cone "stem." Smoothly frost entire outside of cone with green frosting. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until chilled. The harder the frosting, the easier it will be to manipulate later without smudging.

8. Meanwhile, place one inverted bundt cake on your serving platter. Frost "top" (what should be the bottom) of bundt cake with orange frosting.

9. Place remaining prepared bundt cake right-side-up on top of inverted cake. The frosting should help them stick together.

10. Frost entire outside of cake with orange frosting.

11. Using black-tinted frosting and a cake decorator's bag (or a plastic bag with a tiny hole in it), paint on a Jack o' Lantern face (optional).

12. Insert green-frosted ice cream cone into the hole in the middle of your bundt cake.

13. With remaining green frosting in a cake decorator's bag (or a plastic bag with a tiny hole in it), create lines, leaves, and/or vines, as desired.

(Recipe Courtesy of Divine Dinner Party)

So simple and so very sweet!  You can make them any flavor your little heart desires and you can even do mini ones if you would like a whole patch of pumpkins for your next party!  Brilliant!

Weekend Treat: A Hallow's Eve Dessert Table . . .

Well, I know it is the weekend and I normally leave you alone for a couple of days, but I just couldn't resist sharing this simple & sweet little 'Hallow's Eve' dessert table with you.  Brought to you by Shauna Young via Twig & Thistle, I just thought it was too much fun to wait all weekend!  And best of all, everything in these pictures comes from TARGET!!  I'll be brief and just get to the good stuff.  Behold . . .

So cute, right?  Okay, that is all!  Go back to enjoying your weekend:)