The Pumpkin Patch

There is a book that I am in love, some may say obsessed with, called, "What's new cupcake?" It is a book all about cute cupcakes and how to make them. I spotted it while at work one day and since then I have always wanted to make their apple cupcakes. They were red and shimmery and in a cute little basket.

Since I have had no occasion to make them, such as: teacher appreciation week or a dentist's birthday party, I have been waiting for the opportune time to tackle the task. I decided instead of apples I would do the exact same thing in orange to create little cupcake pumpkins.

The search for solid orange cupcake liners 2 weeks before Halloween is apparently impossible so I settled with white ones with pumpkins printed on them. We shopped for all of the appropriate candies for the pumpkin stems and tendrils, also nearly impossible and a box of mini doughnuts. I started with white cake batter and made it orange and baked my cupcakes. I took regular white sugar and turned that orange as well, followed by orange flavored butter frosting also turned orange.
Orange sugar
Orange Batter
Orange flavored orange frosting
Laffy taffy tendrils

Once cupcakes have cooled, you take a mini doughnut and cut it in half horizontally and place it on a little dollop of icing on top of the cupcake. The doughnut is solely to create the height for the pumpkin and the small dimple on the top. Cover sides with frosting and place in freezer for 10 minutes to keep the doughnut from slipping around.

Once out of the freezer cover everything in the orange frosting and then roll in orange sugar. After it is covered in sugar you can touch it and mold it easily to create the shape of pumpkin you like. I took green, yellow and blue laffy taffy to create different shades of green stems and tendrils. You could also use a tootsie roll or green twizzler type candies which, would be easiest if you can find them! Place stem in the dimple on the top and the tendrils all around to create a cute pumpkin patch, and then you too could be surrounded by 24 pumpkin cupcakes taking up room in your refrigerator that no one will eat :)

Cute eh? Here are some other fun ones