A fun and festive showstopper made with layers of fluffy cake and a rich and creamy layer of cheesecake, brilliantly frosted in candy corn colors!
The countdown to Halloween is on, guys…
We’re just 16 days away from the scariest day of the year (besides Valentine’s), which means it’s time to make the proper preparations for the most perfect Halloween EVER. That includes carving/murdering pumpkins, terrorizing your children with zombie decor, finding the cutest/scariest/most ridiculous costume ever, and most importantly, filling your house with every candy and chocolate bar imaginable.
Although if I’m being honest, my idea of the perfect Halloween involves chillaxin’ on the couch, marathoning every Disney Halloween movie, and stuffing my face into sugary oblivion with king-size candy bars and caramel apples sans the apple. Oh the joys of being a single childless woman-child!
But enough about my sad and pathetic life, let’s get to the fun part…this cake!!!
In case you didn’t know, I’m pretty much obsessed with ALL candy. Even the so-called “boring” ones like candy corn. While some might turn their noses up at the unassuming candy corn, I’m all about those soft and sugary triangles. Thus, I decided it was time to bake up a cake dedicated to this highly underrated candy.
Just like the classically cute candy corn, this cake consists of three colorful layers of yellow, orange, and white. To add to the extravagance of this cake, there’s a layer of densely rich cheesecake in the middle. Instead of making a boring ‘ol three-layer cake, I replaced one of those layers with cheesecake. Because…cheesecake.
It’s your standard New York-style rich, tangy, and unbelievably creamy cheesecake. Other than frosting, there’s really no better companion to cake than cheesecake. Wouldn’t you agree?
Since this cake has three different components–cheesecake, frosting, and cake–I decided to give myself a break by using a box cake mix for the orange and yellow layers. Feel free, however, to use a from-scratch recipe if you can’t stand the ease and convenience of box cake mixes.
Yes, you could say that I cheated a little, but ya know what? Ain’t nothin’ wrong with taking a shortcut every once in a while. Besides, box cake mixes taste just as amazing in my opinion (Julia Child is rolling in her grave), and they’re so much easier. For this cake, I used a yellow cake mix, divided it in half, then tinted one half orange with some food coloring. I didn’t add any food coloring to the yellow layer since it was a “yellow” cake, however, if you want your layer to bake up yellower, add a little yellow food coloring.
For the frosting, I went with a simple vanilla buttercream. To assure a smoother finish, I first added a crumb coat to the cake which is basically a thin layer of frosting. Once that layer hardened up, I created the subtle hombre look by adding globs of yellow frosting to the bottom third, followed by globs of orange frosting to the middle third, and finally, white to the top third. Then, with an offset spatula, I smoothed the frosting evenly around the cake, trying not to mix the colors too much. A little mixing between colors doesn’t hurt though!
To finish it off, I used the remaining frosting to pipe a border of candy corn-looking frosting along the top perimeter of the cake. Oh, and of course you can’t forget the SPRINKLES!!
Make this cake at your Halloween party, and I guarantee your friends will not only be going crazy over how flippin’ cute and impressive it looks, but also how heavenly it tastes. The cheesecake is exquisitely rich, yet tangy enough to cut the sweetness of the cake as well as the frosting. Not to mention, the divinely satisfying combo of fluffy white cake and dreamy creamy cheesecake all in one bite.
Who knew heaven was just one cheesecake cake away?
Candy Corn Cheesecake Cake
Ingredients
Cheesecake:
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
Cake:
- 1 box Yellow cake mix plus the ingredients called for on the box
- Orange food coloring (or red + yellow)
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Gel Food Coloring: Orange and Yellow
Instructions
Make the Cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on high until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating for another 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, and beat until incorporated, 1-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs until combined. Try not to overmix.
- Pour filling into pan, smoothing out the top. Bake cheesecake for 35-40 minutes, or until center appears nearly set when shaken. Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack and run a knife around the edges. Allow to cool for at least 2 hours before covering cheesecake and chilling in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Make the Cake:
- Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Divide batter into two separate bowls. Tint one half of the batter with the orange food coloring. Pour each batter into separate parchment-lined 8-inch baking pans. Bake according to package instructions. Cool cakes completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt together on high until fluffy and pale in color, about 4-5 minutes. Decrease speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy cream and beat until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
To Assemble:
- Place orange cake layer on a pedestal or plate. Spread on a thin layer of buttercream, then place the cheesecake layer on top. Add another thin layer of buttercream on the cheesecake, then place the yellow cake layer on top. Frost the entire cake to seal in the crumbs; chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Divide remaining buttercream into three separate bowls. Tint one bowl orange, and another bowl yellow. Remove cake from the fridge. With an offset spatula, add globs of yellow frosting to the bottom third, followed by globs of orange frosting to the middle third, and finally, white to the top third. Then, smooth the frosting evenly around the cake, trying not to mix the colors too much.
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with the remaining yellow frosting and pipe some buttercream dollops around the border. Repeat with the orange buttercream, topping each yellow dollop with an orange dollop. Repeat step with the white buttercream.
- Cake will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.