{Bake} - Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

{Image Via Duncan Hines}

These cupcakes bridge the holidays and make a terrific dessert centerpiece for gatherings from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The patch is made from both standard and mini cupcakes baked in white and orange liners. Cupcakes are topped with a bonnet of orange frosting. The icing is rolled in orange sugar and the ribs are shaped by pressing a bamboo skewer into the frosting. The patch is finished off with licorice for stems and tendrils. Then pick your favorite and start eating!

Ingredients

12 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in orange paper liners

24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners

2 pieces of green licorice twists

1 can plus 1 cup of Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Classic Vanilla Frosting

Orange food coloring

1 cup orange decorating sugar

Green licorice laces

Baking Instructions 

1) Cut the licorice twists into 3/4 inch pieces to make the pumpkin stems. Tint the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup of the orange frosting a darker shade of orange with more food coloring. Spoon the darker orange frosting into a ziplock bag; set aside.

2) Place orange decorating sugar into a  shallow bowl. Spread the orange frosting on top of the cupcakes mounding slightly in the center. Starting on the edge roll the cupcake tops in the sugar to cover completely.

3) Use a wooden skewer to mark the ridges in the tops of the cupcakes. Starting in the center or slightly off center, lightly press the skewer over the cupcake tops to create 5 or 6 indentations. Snip a very small corner (1/16 inch) from the bag with the darker orange frosting and pipe lines of frosting in the indentations on top of the cupcakes. Insert the cut green twists for the stems and add the green laces, trimmed into shorter pieces to make the tendrils.