Halloween Dream Cakes for My Trick or Treaters

I wanted to wish all my readers a happy and safe Halloween. Today I am posting a quick last minute treat. Every Halloween at our house we order pizza and I make a special Halloween treat for the kids. It's much easier to have a quick dinner before heading out to go trick or treating and the kids always want pizza that night, so it makes everyone happy. 

The special treat I made is Halloween Dream Cakes. The kids favorite thing are cupcakes so this was the first thing that came to mind. I love this cake recipe because it makes a boxed came mix taste more like a cake baked from scratch. Just three instant mixes and you will have a great tasting cake or even cupcakes.

This is the recipe I also use when the kids request a special birthday cake for that they want me to make. I used homemade butter cream frosting to frost the cupcakes. I also added orange food coloring to the cake batter and to the frosting. 

Another fun idea is to tint half of the cake mix yellow and tint the other half orange and you can have candy corn cupcakes. You could tint the frosting or just leave it plain white and then place a candy corn on top of each cupcake just like I did. 

The kids will be so excited when they see the cupcakes I am so glad I got this done a day early.  Have fun and be safe tomorrow night. I have two trick or treaters this year a Cowboy Sheriff and a Goddess Fairy. Gracie the little one we sit for is going as a Lady Bug. What will your trick or treaters be wearing?

Halloween Dream Cupcakes

1 - box duncan hines yellow cake mix (I used french vanilla)
1 - envelope Dream Whip
1 - small box Cook n Serve Pudding Mix (vanilla)
4 - large eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 - cup water

Beat all ingredients in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just to moisten, scraping sides of bowl often. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes. Pour into 2 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans (at least 1-1/2 inches deep). Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Frost as desired. If making cupcakes use cupcakes liners and fill 3/4 full with batter. I use my ice cream scooper for even cupcakes. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack and frost.


Vanilla Butter cream Frosting

1 - sticks butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 - cup shortening
1- tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
3-4 cups powdered sugar
orange food or icing color

Cream the butter and the shortening together. Add vanilla extract and and powdered sugar a cup at a time. Then add the milk until you get the consistency you desire. Add food or icing coloring last.

Recipe from: Kraft Foods