Mini Pumpkin Spice Cakes

Makes 8 pumpkins

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE
1 box (18 ounce) spice cake mix, Betty Crocker®
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil, Wesson®
3 eggs

MARZIPAN STEMS
1 package (7 ounce) marzipan, Odense®
Green food coloring, Wilton®

ORANGE GLAZE
1 bag (12-ounce) or 2 cups white chocolate morsels, Nestle®
3/4 cup whipping cream

Orange food coloring, Wilton®, or a
combination of red and yellow food coloring by
Schilling®

Prep time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 20-25 minutes

Cooling time: 15 minutes

Assembly time: 15 minutes

PREPARATION:
For the cakes:
 Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

 Grease and flour 8 mini-Bundt pans.

 Mix together cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in medium bowl of an electric mixer.

 Beat for 2 minutes on low speed.

 Divide batter equally between the 8 pans.

 Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a
toothpick inserted into center of cake comes
cut clean.

 Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack.

For the stems and leaves:
 (When working with food coloring, it is best to put on disposable gloves.)

 Place the marzipan in a stainless steel bowl, then add a few drops of green food coloring.

 Knead the color into the marzipan until the desired shade of green is achieved.

 Divide the marzipan into 2 equal pieces.

 Roll one piece into an 8-inch-long by 1/2-inch-thick log.

 Cut into 8 equal pieces for the stalks.

 Set aside.

 Place the second piece of marzipan between 2 sheets of Saran Wrap®.

 Flatten and roll the marzipan out to about 1/4-inch thick.

 Using a sharp knife or leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut out 16 leaves.

 Keep marzipan covered until needed for assembly.

For the glaze:
 In a small saucepan, heat cream until small bubbles appear on the outside.

 Remove from heat.

 Add chocolate morsels and stir until completely smooth.

 Pour glaze into a glass measuring cup.

 Add food coloring drop by drop, stirring well until desired color is achieved.

ASSEMBLY:
 Place the cooled cakes on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet.

 Sparingly, pour the glaze over the cakes to create large drips.

 Refrigerate cakes until glaze is firm, about 10 minutes.

 Any unused glaze can be served as a sauce alongside the pumpkin at serving.

 When glaze is set, add marzipan stems and leaves.