Pumpkin Patch Spice Cake
This Pumpkin Patch Spice Cake turns a simple boxed spice cake into a festive fall centerpiece. Pumpkin and warm spices make the cake extra cozy, while tan buttercream, crushed Biscoff cookies, candy pumpkins, and green frosting vines create a fun edible pumpkin patch on top.
Equipment
- 10×13-inch baking pan
- Electric mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling Pin
- Piping bag
- Wilton #2 and #352 piping tips
Ingredients
Spice Cake
- 1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix
- 1 package 3.4 oz vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Buttercream & Decoration
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3¾ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Brown gel food coloring
- Leaf-green gel food coloring
- 12-15 Biscoff cookies
- Pumpkin-shaped candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10×13-inch baking pan.
- Beat cake mix, pudding mix, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs, cinnamon, and ginger on low for 1 minute.
- Scrape your bowl, and then mix on high for 2 minutes.
- Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Make the buttercream by beating softened butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar on low, then add milk and vanilla and beat until creamy.
- Reserve 1 cup buttercream for the vines and leaves. Tint the remaining frosting lightly brown to create a tan color, then frost the cooled cake.
- Crush Biscoff cookies into fine crumbs. Press them over the top and sides of the frosted cake. If the frosting has crusted, lightly mist it with water so the crumbs adhere.
- Press them over the top and sides of the frosted cake. If the frosting has crusted, lightly mist it with water so the crumbs adhere.
- Arrange pumpkin candies across the cake in loose rows to create the pumpkin patch.
- Tint the reserved buttercream green. Pipe connecting vines around the pumpkins using a #2 tip.
- Add leaves with a #352 tip.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Cool completely: Warm cake will soften the buttercream and make decorating difficult.
- Biscoff crumbs: Crush them finely enough to resemble soil, but leave a few slightly larger pieces for texture.
- Food coloring: Use gel coloring for stronger color without thinning the frosting.
- Decorating: The pumpkin rows do not need to be perfectly straight; an irregular arrangement gives the patch a natural look.