Mini Haunted Houses

MAKES 8
 

1 frozen family-size (16 oz) poundcake, thawed
2 tubs (16 oz each) vanilla frosting
Orange paste (icing) food color
32 chocolate wafer cookies (from a 9-oz pkg), crushed
Walkways: 8 creme-filled sugar wafers
Roofs: thin pretzel sticks
Doors: 8 Necco candy wafers
Windows: 8 pieces Froot Loops cereal
Ghosts: 8 bugle-shaped crisp corn snacks
8 purchased tiny candy pumpkins

 Place waxed paper on cutting board. Place cake on waxed paper. Cut 1/4 in. off both ends of cake. Starting 1 in. from top of right side of cake, cut cake in half diagonally to 1 in. from bottom edge of left side (see Cooking Lesson A, below). Turn each half so sides of cake are on the waxed paper. Cut off thin brown crust. Put 1/2 cup vanilla frosting in a cup; cover and reserve. Color remaining frosting orange. Spread some frosting under cake halves and place a rounded tsp in center of 8 dessert plates. Using 1 2/3 cups orange frosting, frost diagonally cut side (see Cooking Lesson B, below), then frost rest of cake except ends. Cut each cake crosswise in quarters to make 8 houses. Set a house into frosting on each plate. Use remaining orange frosting to frost cut sides. Sprinkle crushed wafers around each house. Walkways: Remove top cookie layer of sugar wafers. Place a wafer creme side up on each plate, breaking off an end if needed to fit.

Roofs: Break pretzel sticks into assorted lengths and press into frosting on roofs.
Doors: Break candy wafers in half. Press into frosting.
Windows: Press Froot Loops into frosting.

Ghosts: Gently dip corn snacks, one at a time, into reserved vanilla frosting, twisting to swirl the frosting.

Set 1 ghost and 1 candy pumpkin on each plate. Use crumbs on plate for ghost's eyes.

Cooking Lesson

FOR MINI HAUNTED HOUSE

A. Starting 1 in. from top of right side of cake, cut cake in half diagonally to 1 in. from bottom edge of left side.

B. Turn each half so sides of cake are on the waxed paper, diagonally cut sides up. Cut off thin brown crust. Frost diagonally cut sides first, or cake will topple over.

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