I receive newsletters from several friends across the country who also own garden centers. Today I received one from Ed Knapton of America’s Best Flowers in Wisconsin with a great recipe that is perfect for the season. Ed gave me permission to share it with you.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• 1 pkg. carrot cake mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. cooked pumpkin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 envelope Dream Whip whipped topping mix

Frosting

• 2 containers Buttercream frosting
• red and yellow food coloring
• 1 square bottom ice cream cone or similar size Dixie cup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cake mix, 2 eggs, pumpkin and spices; mix at low speed until moist then at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining eggs, water and topping mix; beat at low speed until blended, then at medium speed for 3 minutes.

Pour into pan. Bake 45-55 minutes. Watch carefully so you don’t overbake. Cool 15 minutes. Loosen edges of cake, turn onto platter. Cool completely.

Repeat above for second cake.

Turn cakes over onto a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut off the top of the cakes to make them level.

Frosting

Reserve ½ cup frosting and tint it green for the stem & tendrils. Place one cake on serving plate, cut side up. Frost cut surface with untinted frosting. Turn other cake upside down on frosted surface of first cake, bringing cut surfaces together and lining up ridges. Insert a few skewers, to hold the cakes together, cut off ends with kitchen scissors.

Mix remaining frosting with red and yellow food coloring in a medium mixing bowl, until you have a pumpkin-orange color.

Frost entire pumpkin, to accent ridges created by Bundt pan, gently run a spatula, or your finger between the ridges.

Frost an ice cream cone or Dixie cup to create stem. Gently insert into center of cake, tipping slightly. Put remaining green frosting into a Ziploc bag that you have snipped a corner of, pipe tendrils on pumpkin.

For a taller pumpkin, you can bake another cake mix in round layer pan(s) the same diameter as your Bundt pan and insert one layer between cakes. If you do this, be sure to use several skewers to hold it all together.

Or… get creative and make your own version of this CAKE-O’-LANTERN using chocolate frosting, green jelly candies(or green frosting), M & M’s and candy corn. Whichever way you go, you’ll be baking up some Halloween fun. Enjoy!!!