Halloween Monster Cake

This year was my kids’ first time having their birthday party with their friends. We used to celebrate their birthday with our family. We fully understand how tiring it is to throw a kids birthday party. And we didn’t do it until this year was because one, we are lazy parents. Two, I don’t seem to remember anything before I was six, and I concluded that six is a good age to start remember things, like birthday parties, starting grade one….all the good stuff. Yes, only good stuff, because my six-year-old son still seems to have a hard time remember what I say although it’s said two seconds ago, like FINISH YOUR DINNER NOW! or GET IN THE DAMN CAR!

I’ve always wanted to throw a backyard pool party for my kids. Except they weren’t born in summer. They are October kids. October in Vancouver is notoriously known as cold and rainy. This year we were lucky to have an abnormally warm October, and we were able to move the party to our backyard. No pool. No water. But we had costumes and monsters thanks to the Halloween theme.

Ingredients (8-inch 3-layer cake):
Vanilla Cake
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
4 sticks unsalted butter, soften
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons whole cream
4 to 6 drops of orange food coloring paste
Decoration
1/2 cup white Candy Melts
1/2 black Candy Melts
5 orange cake pops

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a bowl of standing mixer with a paddle attachment, mix buttermilk, egg, oil, vanilla and vinegar on medium speed until well combined.
Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cake pans and spread evenly.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 minutes before inverting on rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
To prepare the frosting, beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar has incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract and cream. Then beat for another 3 minutes. Add color, one drop at a time, and continue mixing and adding color until it reaches the preferred color.
To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Place another cake layer on top, and gently press down a little bit. Spread with another 1/3 cup frosting. Place the last layer of cake on top, smear a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
Use an open star tip, close star tip or hair tip to pipe the rest frosting on cake. Starting from the bottom and move up to the top of the cake.
To prepare the monster face, melt white and black Candy Melts in two separate microwavable piping bags.
Use the white Candy Melts to pipe small triangles on a parchment paper for teeth.
Use the black Candy Melts to pipe a long and thick line on a parchment paper for mouth.
For the cake pops, pipe a solid white circle on each of them. Let it dry, then pipe a black dot on.
Cover and refrigerate the cake. Remove from refrigerator an hour before serving. Place cake pop eyes, mouth and teeth on top of the cake.

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