Pink Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Hi sweet readers,
Hope you all are doing fine.
This weekend, halloween is celebrated by lot of people. I do not celebrate halloween and I definatly do not bake anything special in a typical halloween style or colours.

Lately i have seen so many cake-posts on facebook, pinterest… Cakes with green jelly pouring out of the cake, spiders in cookies, worms in dessert and more.
I mean seriously, who eats stuff like these? I honestly do not get tempted to eat or even making it. I wrote about this issue on my private facebook and most of my friends were agree, that those creepy halloween cakes/desserts are not very appealing. Well the day after i got an email from a Norwegian newspaper, seeing my post through a friend on me on facebook. They print screen my status and they wanted to do an interview with me. I just answered very honest, that I can’t wait for halloween to be over and that cakes like these are just not for me. She asked me kindly, if I would make something for halloween that is just cute and not so scary and looks delicious. My choice was a pink mini pumpkin inspired by my friend Angela who wrote at her status, that she adores pumpkin for halloween.

Here is the recipe and hope you all get tempted,

Pink pumkin cakes,( yield 6)

Norwegian Sponge cake

• 6 large eggs
• 240 g sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. water
• 240 g all purpose flour
• 80 g corn starch
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Filling

• 1 portion light and Easy Whipped cream
• 1/2 portion pastry cream
• dark chocolate chopped
•  raspberry jam

Topping

• 2 pound (900 gr ) white marzipan
• powdered sugar ( for dusting)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift the flour and potato starch two times in a medium bowl.

In a standing mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on low-medium speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium, and continue beating for 5 more minutes.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat for another 5 to 7 minutes on medium-high speed. The batter should be very thick. When the whisk is lifted, the batter fall back into the bowl in a ribbon shape and slowly sink into the batter.

Add the water and vanilla bean paste and mix for 1 minute.

Sift half the flour mixture over the batter and gently combine with a spatula a few times to ensure the flour mixture has been fully incorporated.  Be careful not to deflate the batter.  Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake in the middle oven rack, 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  It should have a beautiful golden color.

Transfer the baking tray to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes, then carefully turn it upside down, remove the parchment paper and  allow to cool completely before you assemble the cake.

i remove the crust on the top, and level the cake with a sharp knife.

So it will end up looking like this.

Take a medium round cookie cutter and press out 12 round cirkels.

On the first layer i add homemade raspberry jam,

Make the whipped cream and 1/2 portion of the  pastry cream and combine it together for a more stable cream

• 1 portion light and Easy Whipped cream
• 1/2 portion pastry cream

Add a few scoops of cream on top of the raspberry jam, sliced bananas,and some chocolate chips, add some more cream on top,

Put the next cake layer on top, press it slightly down, so it is attached.

Add some more cream on top, more than the first layer,

Make the cake round on top with the cream, using an offset spatula.

Cover the entire cake with the rest of the cream.

Make sure you cover all the sides.

Dust the work surface lightly with powdered sugar. Devide the marzipan into 6 portions.
Roll each piece into 8-inch round, just under 1/8 inch tick.
Center the round marzipan over the cake.

Letting it drape/drain over the sides,

with your hands adjust the marzipan, if you need use a smoother.

I use a cookie cutter that is almost as large as the cake, and press it over the top,to cut of the marzipan around the sides.

Remove the ecsess marzipan.

Using a fondant tool, or the edge of a popsicle stick press 7 verticle lines around the pumpkin.

Push a litte white rolled fondant on the top of each cake, or use a licorice stick

I like to keep the colors light, pale.

Dust the top with powdered sugar for a more dreamy look.

With an spatula, remove the cake from the silicon mat and repeat with the others.

This cake is so fluffy, dreamy cute and delicious.

Hope you all got tempted today, I wish you all a great weekend, make the best out of it.

Lots of love to all of you,

p.s if you happen to cellebrate halloween, have fun and take care.

Love Manuela xo