Whether you love or hate actual candy corn, this Candy Corn Cake is a delicious way to celebrate Halloween! Happy baking!
Why is it that candy corn is the cool Halloween candy to hate? BuzzFeed listed “the leftover crumbs stuck in Guy Fieri’s goatee” as tasting better than candy corn. Seriously!? They also listed chalk as tasting better. If we’re talking about chalk, then Necco Wafers enter the conversation, and candy corn is wayyy better than Necco Wafers!
According to recent surveys, 49% of us think that candy corn is tasty while 23% of us think it is gross. Taking that one step further, a different study found that 12% of us listed candy corn as their favorite Halloween candy. (To be fair, that study is seriously flawed as the top vote receiver was ‘chocolate.’ If you combine all chocolate candy into one huge category, it’s almost always going to overpower a survey! But I digress…)
One more fun candy corn fact before we move on to today’s recipe – only 58% of us eat candy corn whole. The rest of us choose to bite off the different colors individually. What the what!? We always buy 1-2 bags of candy corn during the Halloween season and put ’em in a bowl on the table. Then I just fill my hoodie pocket with candy corn and proceed through my day popping candy corn in my mouth whenever the urge strikes. (I get that habit from my Mom!)
Candy Corn Cake
As much as I enjoy walking around the house with candy corn in my pocket, I think a slice of this Candy Corn Cake would be a much better choice! Of course, shoving a slice of this cake in my pocket would not be the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Nah, we’ll just save this cake for dessert during the Halloween season instead.
In truth, this Candy Corn Cake is just a vanilla cake decorated in the iconic yellow-orange-white layers that we associate with candy corn. There is no candy corn in the cake. Funny story – I once tried to melt candy corn and use the mixture as a “frosting” on top of cinnamon buns. It failed miserably. And I made the mistake of taking a batch over to our neighbors before I tasted one. Oops. (Sorry, Judy!)
After the fact, I realized I could’ve incorporated some honey into the frosting to match the flavor of candy corn, but truthfully I just didn’t think about it. Instead, I went with a classic vanilla cake topped with a classic vanilla buttercream. I split the cake batter and frosting into 3 bowls and added a bit of orange and yellow food coloring gel to achieve the colors I was looking for.
However, one unique thing about this cake is the pudding. I stumbled onto the pudding trick back when I made this Lemon Pistachio Cake, and I’m now a huge fan of using pudding in both the cake as well as the frosting. The cake stays extremely moist and the frosting turns super creamy. In short, pudding mix in cake and frosting is a favorite new trick!
So whether or not you like actual candy corn, I highly recommend celebrating Halloween with this Candy Corn Cake! Happy baking!
Did you make this Candy Corn Cake at home? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Candy Corn Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 3.4-oz. package vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water
- yellow and orange food coloring or gel
For the Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 3.4-oz. package vanilla pudding mix
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk
- yellow and orange food coloring or gel
- candy corn for garnishing
Instructions
For the Cake
- Grease and flour (3) 9” round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper; set pans aside.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Using the bowl of a countertop mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pudding mix; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Pour liquid mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add hot water; continue mixing on low speed until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into 3 medium bowls. Add 1½ tsp yellow food coloring (or several drops of yellow food gel) to one bowl; stir until well combined. Add 1½ tsp orange food coloring (or several drops of orange food gel) to another bowl; stir until well combined. Leave last bowl uncolored.
- Transfer batter into the 3 prepared cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool completely before frosting.
For the Buttercream Frosting
- Using a countertop mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy (~3-4 minutes on medium speed).
- Add pudding mix, vanilla extract and powdered sugar (1 cup at a time); mix well after each addition.
- Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition, until frosting reaches desired consistency.
- Beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until fluffy.
- Divide the frosting into 3 medium bowls. Add 1 tsp of yellow food coloring (or several drops of yellow food gel) to one bowl; stir until well combined. Add 1 tsp orange food coloring (or several drops of orange food gel) to another bowl; stir until well combined. Leave last bowl white.
- Place yellow cake layer on a large platter. Spread yellow frosting on top and sides of this layer.
- Place orange cake layer on top. Spread orange frosting on top and sides of this layer.
- Finally, place white cake layer on top. Spread white frosting on top and sides of this layer.
- Before serving, garnish top of cake with candy corn.
Looking for more tasty Halloween dessert recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I’m definitely on team candy corn! I actually do enjoy them, not that I eat a lot, but still think they’re fun and such a classic Halloween treat. I bet (actually I know) that this cake is even better than the candy. Love those fun, colourful layers. Pinned! Hope your week is going great, my friend 🙂
Exactly! I’m the same way as you, Dawn – I don’t eat a ton of candy corn, but I do enjoy 1-2 bags each Halloween season. Evenly though this cake is just a vanilla cake decorated to look like candy corn, it’s still quite fun! 🙂
I am one of those in the 23% group – I’m not quite fond of candy corn and would agree with that buzzfeed quote wholeheartedly! BUT – I LOVE cake – even if it looks like candy corn! 🙂 David this is making my mouth water! I love the pudding in cake AND frosting suggestion! Cannot wait to try it! Now please don’t forget to keep your window cracked so my drone can come through and grab a slice of this deliciousness!
Ah! Candy corn really is a polarizing candy. I personally enjoy it, but as you’ve noted, it’s not for everyone. Fortunately this cake is really just a vanilla cake decorated to look like candy corn – no actual candy corn was harmed in the making of this cake. 🙂 Window is cracked, my friend. See you soon! (Also, you’d appreciate the recent post on Bacon Cheddar Pull Apart Bread – you’ll know why when you read it!)
I’m afraid I’m also in that 28% that neither hate it or love it, but the cake looks amazing. Great job of capturing the esence of candy corn. I’d take a piece of that cake any day and stuff it in my pocket if need be.
Oh, I just remembered why I’m so so on candy corn. We used to have candy corn slingshot wars when I was a kid and I always lost. I alway ate the ammo…
Hmmm, I’m going to take a guess and say that Eva won’t be too happy with you if you come in with a slice of cake shoved into your pocket. I mean, it would still be delicious…but…
Candy corn slingshot wars!? That’s a new one – and I love it! I wonder if I can slingshot it straight into my mouth? Haha!
I’m on the ‘meh’ team about candy corn, but a slice of this gorgeous cake is a whole different story. So festive and absolutely delicious!
It seems a lot of folks are in that ‘meh’ category here. I personally like candy corn, but I don’t love it. This cake, though? Love it! 🙂 Thanks, Marissa!
I am not even so sure if I have ever tried candy corn. As you correctly pointed out, chocolate is the winner for many people, and I can confirm that. Chocolate, nuts, and caramel, separately or together. All other types of candy almost do not have a chance to get my attention. You know, competition! But I also must admit this cake looks delightful; very nice colour job. And I totally agree some honey would have been a great addition.
That survey was flawed from the beginning. How do you match chocolate (all types) against candy corn? Nevertheless, I say pick up a bag of candy corn this Halloween season, Ben. I do recommend getting a name brand – like Brach’s if that’s available in your area. Store brand candy corn just isn’t the same. Or you could just bake a cake instead. Haha! 🙂
Aaha, the quote is so true! I hate these candy. The cake is so fun to make, such vibrant layers, love it! it is going to be very attractive amongst the kids, perfect Halloween treat. Love the idea of using pudding mix, thanks for posting this dessert!
Interesting! I’m getting a wide range of responses in the comments here. Even though you might hate actual candy corn, I’d venture to bet this cake would still be a winner. No actual candy corn was used in the cake – it’s just a vanilla cake, although the pudding mix does add a TON of moisture. And the pudding mix in the frosting makes it extra creamy and extra vanilla-y. Kinda fun little baking trick there. Either way, Happy Halloween, my friend!
It’s been so long since I’ve seen candy corn. I remember liking it as a kid, now I wanna go and find it to see if I still do! Love the cake idea!!!
Hmmm…is candy corn not a thing in Canada? I bet it is! But you’ve gotta make sure you get a brand name – store brand candy corn is quite lacking. Or you can just bake a cake instead. Haha. Glad to see you’re settling into the new routine up there, Matt!
mmm i don’t think i’ve seen candy corn before. love the colours of your cake tho. you’ve done a great job in capturing the essence of the candy. sorry, i feel a bit woozy saying candy. we say lollies or sweets 🙂
Hmmm – maybe candy corn isn’t a thing down there in Australia. I always love hearing about the food differences between our countries, Sherry! Either way, Halloween is a great excuse to bake a cake, right? 🙂
What a fun cake! I do like candy corn and I like to start with nibbling on the top white layer and working my way down. I might have to change my strategy when eating this cake. A bite of everything all at once will probably be the way to go!
Ah, so you fall into the 42% that eat the candy corn one layer at a time! I guess it is kinda fun to nibble your way through. However, this cake? One bite is definitely the way to go! Thanks so much, Kathy, and I hope you and the family have a great weekend!
I am from Australia, so I’ve never tasted candy corn before. But I like the idea to remaking candies into different types of desserts (cinnamon roll pancakes, anyone?) and plus, this cake looks and sounds perfect for Halloween!
I like that you’ve used pudding mix in both the cake and the icing – I am pretty sure I’ve used it in a cake before (and it was great) but never in the frosting. Great tip, David!
So I learned about the lack of candy corn thanks to Sherry’s comment, too. I didn’t realize candy corn isn’t a thing down there. I personally enjoy it – but only the brand name varieties. Store brand candy corn is meh. It’s kinda chewy but not too much, and it tastes like honey. Either way, it’s a classic Halloween/Autumn candy here in the States.
And I do highly recommend trying pudding mix in frosting. The result is a super creamy frosting with tons of extra flavor – vanilla in this case, although you could use different pudding flavors to get unique frosting flavors, too. Hope you have a great weekend, Katerina!
I’m familiar with the pudding-in-the-cake trick, but I hadn’t heard about pudding in a frosting. I guess I once used creme Anglaise as a frosting base, so I guess that’s not too far off. But still, pudding is a trick that I’m definitely going to try. The cake, of course, is gorgeous. And its a great concept. I do like candy corn … I mean, it’s not my favorite thing, but if it were around, I’d eat it. The only thing I find “gross” about it is that it kind of reminds me of what your teeth would look like if all you ever ate were candy corn, and you never brushed.
Ah, the pudding in the frosting is something you’ve gotta try, Jeff. I stumbled across the idea when I was trying to make pistachio-flavored frosting a while back. It’s a quick hack for making the creamiest of frostings – and you can invent some pretty cool flavors using pudding, too. Also, I’ve never thought about candy corn and teeth in that way – and now I can never look at candy corn the same way again. Thanks for that.
Such a fun and festive cake David. Loved all the different layers. I dont think I have tried candy corn. I am more of a chocolate person than candies. I always keep a bag of candies for trick or treat. This time when I go for candy shopping I will look for candy corn.
Candy corn is a unique treat, Rahul. I’m not sure if it’s available in your area, but if it is then make sure to get a brand name version – store brand candy corn is pretty terrible. And if you can’t find it? Then you can always just make a cake instead! 🙂
I love how bright and cheery your candy corn cake is David! I’m afraid I had to look up what candy corn is, but now I see and understand why your cake is coloured in such a way. Looks delicious too. Send a piece of that over to me please!
I had no idea until I posted this how limited candy corn is. I guess it’s just a US candy. It’s unique, but I kinda like it. It has a mild honey flavor, and it’s slightly chewy. Even if you can’t find candy corn over there, you can still use the concept to make a cake! 🙂 Cheers, my friend!
Ohhhhh my goodness David this is the most fun cake ever! How absolutely gorgeous!! And I am absolutely fascinated by those candy corn stats how interesting. (I love the stuff myself 😋) What a clever idea for a cake, this would be a huge hit in our house!
I’m with ya on the candy corn, Shannon! I find it pretty tasty – I mean 1-2 bags is more than enough each year, but I do still look forward to it coming out! And who doesn’t love a classic cake decorated up for Halloween/Autumn? 🙂
Such a nice idea David, definitely perfect with the coffee I am holding now
Cake ever go wrong with a slice of cake and a coffee! Thanks, Raymund!
Sorry, I have never been a fan of candy corn, way too sweet. I love the cake! It’s perfect for Halloween.
I understand that, Dawn – candy corn is not for everyone! The good news is this cake is just a classic (but delicious!) vanilla cake that is decorated like a piece of candy corn – no actual candy corn was harmed in the making of this cake! 🙂
There will be no Halloween festivities in our area this year which means no candy handouts for children. Your cute cake is the perfect alternative. Tell me, what did Robbie think of a giant candy corn cake? 😊
Ah, well Robbie loved the candy corn cake! He was a bit confused why it didn’t taste like candy corn since it looked like candy corn – but he got over that confusion quickly! We’re not sure what Halloween will look like around here yet – we’ll be playing it safe for sure. Stay tuned on that front. 🙂 Thanks, Karen!