Halloween Treats + Cake Stands {DIY}

One of the holiday season that I am not familiar with is 'Halloween.' I grew up celebrating Christmas from my father's side of the family and 'Lebaran' {biggest holiday occasion for Muslims) from my mother's side of the family. But in our country 'Indonesia,' we do not celebrate 'Halloween.'

Only recently do I feel festive welcoming the fall season. I have started to appreciate and enjoy making pumpkin soup, pumpkin cake and apple cider. I love any cake with apple and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg when baking. There is nothing like the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg blowing by the wind throughout your home when baking.

So yesterday was 'Sunday' and thought it was a perfect day for baking and did a few DIYs to welcome the fall season.

I did not do a good job trying to create  the Jack O Lantern's faces by piping it on the cup cakes. I thought they are quite cute and funny looking.

I know, I have too many pictures here; but I love them all. Orange is not my color but I like the colors of  vibrant orange mix with midnight blue and I really enjoyed executing this project from baking the macarons, mini cup cakes, DIYed the cake stands, styling and finally took lots of pictures yesterday.Pheww...at the end of the day my feet were killing me from standing from noon until late afternoon.

On my last post I mentioned that I picked up a few things for projects from Good Will from our last trip in Florida. So I picked up these 4 items; 2 plastic goblets and 2 plastic plates for 70 cents each. And I hand carried them all the way from Florida to New York. Yes, I am way too serious about my project.

The step by step

1. The above itmes +  Martha Stewart multi-surface acrylic craft paints color of your choice available at Michaels. 2. Brushes. I am using my artist brush. 3. Small plastic container to put the paint on. 4. Glue gun. {to join the goblets and plates together} 5. Very small artist brush to paint the chevron motifs.

Start painting 2 coats on the outside of your goblets and plates. You can give another coat if you want to be more opaque in color.

  These are what the cake stands should look like after giving two coats of painting. I later on finished painting the chevron motifs on the other cake stand pedestal. For this tutorial; I simply dip my smallest round brush in the paint and start to paint the motifs anywhere free hand on the goblets. Again I go over on top of the first paint to make it more opaque in color. Note; it is not perfect but I like the imperfection and makes it more look like hand painted which it was !

So now the 'recipes'

Pumpkin Spice Mini Cup Cakes

Makes 24 mini cup cakes.

~ 1 cup all-purpose flour

~ 1 teaspoon baking powder

~ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

~ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

~ Pinch of salt

~ 2 eggs, lightly beaten

~ 1/2 can of 15 ounce pumpkin

~ 1/2 cup sugar

~ 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting

~ Wilton Black Decorating Icing from Michaels

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Put mini cup cake liner in a large cup cake pan (about 24 cup cakes) set a side. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 2. In a large bowl stir together eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Scoop batter with spoon in to cup cake pan. Filling in only 3/4 to the top. 3. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool. 4. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting; In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter, add 1 tsp vanilla and orange color. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add 1-1/2 cup powdered sugar, beating until smooth. 5. Fill Wilton Balck Decorating Icing into piping bag. Using no. 1 Wilton piping tip start making the design (here Jack O Lantern's face} on top the Frosted cup cakes.

Pumpkin Spice Macaron

Recipe (here) except put orange color on the meringue and 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

For the filling I am using the same Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting above.

Praline & Cream Macaron

Recipe (here) except put 1/2 tsp praline & cream essence on the meringue and a dash of cinnamon to give a little of color.

For the filling.

1. 1/2 pear; chopped finely

2. 1-1/2 tablespoon of butter

3.  1 tbsp of brown sugar

4. Lemon juice

Heat butter and put in chopped pear and brown sugar. Stirring until pear becoming soft. Let it cool and put a side. Meantime, with electric mixer soften 1/2 cup cream cheese. Put in the cooked pear and mix well. Squeeze a drop (only a drop) of lemon juice to naturalize the too sweet taste of macaron.

Styling props

~Glitter pumpkins from Michaels

~ Paper straw from Michaels

~ Bunting; DIY out of cup cake liners

Good luck Everyone and Thank You for stopping by !