Pumpkin of Cupcakes

Pumpkin of Cupcakes

Trick or Treat Sprinkles Fans!!!  Out of respect for the best holiday ever Ariel found an exciting task for us.  A pumpkin of cupcakes, yes you heard right, we actually made a giant pumpkin out of cupcakes.  This recipe was from Cup Cake Central which is sponsored by Reynolds Baking Cups. 

What you need:

For Cake:
48-52 cupcakes baked in Reynolds Orange Foil Baking Cups
2 packages (18.25 oz. each) yellow cake mix
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Water, oil and eggs (follow package directions)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract for cake

For Frosting:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract for frosting
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 to 2 packages (16 oz.each ) powdered sugar
Neon orange food coloring
Green food coloring
Optional:  orange sugar crystals

For Creating Centerpiece:
1 large platter or tray (at least 12 inches wide)
1 8” Styrofoam ball (purchase at your local craft store)
1 4×4x2″ Styrofoam block  (purchase at your local craft)
4 6″ wooden skewers
1 glue gun and glue sticks
48-52 wooden craft sticks
1 small paring knife

Instructions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
PLACE Reynolds Baking Cups in muffin pans; set aside.
BEAT cake mixes, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on lw speed until moistened, about 30 seconds.  Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Spoon batter into baking cups.  If desired, each cake mix can be beaten separately just use half of pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in each.
BAKE 20 to 23 minutes.  Cool.
MIX cream cheese, maple syrup, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended.
DIVIDE frosting, use food coloring to dye 1/2 cup green and the remaining frosting orange.
SET aside two cupcakes for stem.  PIPE or frost remaining cupcakes with orange frosting.  Sprinkle with orange sugar crystals,  if desired.  Very Important: Let frosting stand and harden at least 1 hour.

PREPARE CENTERPIECE:

1. Place Styrofoam block on a platter.  Use hot glue to glue block to platter.  Insert 4 wooden skewers in a square center of block.
2. Place Styrofoam ball on top of block, sliding ball onto skewers.  Use hot glue to secure in place, if necessary.
3. Starting at the bottom of the styrofoam ball, insert one wooden craft stick angled 45 degrees up.  Push stick deep into ball so that about 1/2 of it remains sticking out to hold cupcake.
4. Use a paring knife to make a thin slit into the bottom of the decorated cupcake.
5. Slide decorated cupcake onto wooden craft stick.
6. Repeat these steps, one row at a time.  Work your way all the way around the bottom of the ball to the top, placing the cupcakes as close together as you can get them.
7. Leave a 3-inch circle of open space at the top for the stem.  Remove baking cups from the 2 cupcakes that were set aside for stem.  Cut a thin slice from the top of each cupcake to create flat surfaces. 
8. Frost cut side of one cupcake with green frosting and press bottom of second cupcake on top of it.  Prepare stem by spreading a thin coating of green frosting over all sides of both cupcakes.
9. Spread a dollop of green frosting in open space at top of ball to serve as “glue” for the stem.  Place frosted green cupcakes upside down on frosting so flat bottom of one of the cupcakes makes the top of the stem.  Spread frosting over stem until completely covered.  Use a fork to make circular lines in the top of the stem and vertical lines on the sides, if desired.
10. Optional:  place additional cupcakes on platter around bottom of Pumpkin.

We took the easy route on this one (because it was going to be difficult to assemble the giant pumpkin) and used boxed cake mix.  We made two boxes of mix, one yellow and one chocolate.  We did not include pumpkin in our recipe because there were no cans of pumpkin to be found in Ann Arbor.  Apparently everyone had a similar idea to us.  We did make the frosting as it was stated in the recipe but we did not have food coloring so we used a food dye spray.  It was shimmery and perfect for our pumpkin. 

When assembling the pumpkin we found it difficult to attach the cupcakes without having them fall off.  Because we used paper cupcake liners instead of the tin ones recommended we noticed that the weight of thee hanging cupcake pulled away from the liner.  Luckily once they were packed onto the Styrofoam ball they held each other together.  Our finished product was not as tidy as the one on the Cup Cake Central website but it was still really cute and festive!!