Ghost Cake

Instructions

Pumpkin Cake Layers:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line four 6-inch round pans with parchment rounds and grease with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use this recipe to make 3, 8-inch cake layers but your ghost will end up being quite a bit shorter than mine. If you don't have that many cake pans, the batter can sit at room temperature for a few hours. Bake as many layers at a time as you can at a time.
2. Mix 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until fully combined.
3. Mix 1 cup of room temperature, unsalted butter slowly into the dry ingredients on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks like moist sand.
4. Pour in 1/2 cup of egg whites and 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree. Mix on low until just incorporated. Then mix in 1 1/2 cups of sour cream and 2 tsp of vanilla extract on a low speed. If you want to color these cake layers, add in the gel food coloring during this step. I added in a small squirt of orange gel food coloring.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat on a medium speed for about a minute to make sure everything is properly mixed together. This also helps lighten the texture of the cake layers a bit.
6. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 34-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the pans cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
7. Place the cake pans into the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
8. Level three of the cake layers with a serrated knife once they're fully cooled. Leave one of the cake layers with a rounded top. Trim the sides of the rounded cake layer to give it a domed shape like in the pictures above.
9. Then stack the cake layers on top of each other and trim the sides like in the picture above to give the ghost a slightly tapered shape. If you make these cake layers in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1. While the cake layers bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.
2. Beat 2 cups of unsalted butter on a medium-high speed for a mind with a paddle attachment until smooth. It should become lighter in color.
3. Mix in 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed.
4. Slowly mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream halfway through to make the frosting easier to mix.
5. Continue to mix on a low speed for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached. 
6. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
7. Stir the frosting by hand with a rubber spatula for a couple minutes to make the frosting extra smooth. This will help push any excess air out the frosting and get rid of any pesky little air bubbles.
8. Cover the buttercream flush with plastic wrap to prevent crusting, then set aside.

Assembling This Ghost Cake:

1. Stack and frost the cake layers on an 8-inch greaseproof cake board using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer in the center of the board.
2. Start with one of the leveled cake layers first and spread an even layer of frosting on top of it. Repeat with the remaining leveled cake layers. Top the cake with the rounded cake layer. Stacking the cake layers in this order should give our ghost a nice shape.
3. Once all the cake layers are stacked, spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake. Smooth the frosting with a large offset spatula and a small acetate sheet, then chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch. This makes it easier to get a perfect second layer of frosting.
4. While the cake chills, scoop about 1/4 cup of buttercream into a bowl and color it orange with a squirt of orange gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a small round piping tip.
5. Place about 2 tbsp of buttercream into the same bowl and color it pink with a squirt of pink gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a small round piping tip.
6. Scoop about 2 tbsp of buttercream into the same bowl and color it green with a squirt of green gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a small leaf piping tip.
7. Add about 2 tbsp of buttercream into the same bowl and color it brown with a squirt of brown gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a small round pip
8. Scoop about 3 tbsp of buttercream in the same bowl and color it black with a squirt of black gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a small round piping tip.
9. Then place the remaining buttercream in a large piping bag and add a second layer of white frosting around the cake. Pipe squiggly lines of frosting at the base of the cake to give our ghost a ruffled look. Smooth the frosting with a large offset spatula and a small acetate sheet.
10. Trace out where you want the ghost's face and pumpkin to go with a toothpick or scribe. Use the black buttercream to pipe on the ghost's facial features. If you don't feel comfortable piping on the face, you can also use black fondant instead of buttercream.
11. Use the pink buttercream to pipe on the ghost's cheeks.
12. Pipe a pumpkin underneath the ghost's face and a small bow on the side of the ghost's head with the orange buttercream. Then pipe on the ghost's arms with white buttercream. Use the brown and green buttercream to add a stump and leaf onto the pumpkin, then enjoy!