Candy Corn Cake

CAKE (Customized 1-2-3-4 LAYER CAKE)

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups sifted Swans Down® Cake Flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk (whole or low fat)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 8 cups Mousseline Buttercream (recipe follows)
• Food coloring (orange and yellow)
• 1 package candy corn candies

MOUSSELINE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

• 8 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 10 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup liqueur (any flavor, optional)

1. MAKE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour 3 (9-inch) layer pans.
2. SIFT flour and then lightly spoon 3 cups of the flour into large measuring cup.
3. CREAM butter in large bowl. Gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Sift the already-sifted cake flour with baking powder and salt. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and extracts, blending after each addition until smooth. (Do not over beat as this will yield a dry cake.)
4. POUR into prepared pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tester inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on racks.
5. MAKE FROSTING: (Note: Use extra-large sauce pan and mixing bowl; if not available, divide frosting ingredients in half and make in 2 batches.) Bring sugar and water to boil in heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat until it reaches soft ball stage (265℉).
6. WHISK egg whites and cream of tartar together while sugar is heating, using a mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk until firm peaks form.
7. REMOVE hot sugar from stove and pour into heat resistant measuring cup. With the mixer on, slowly pour hot sugar into bowl of egg whites, avoiding hitting the whisk. Keep whisking on high until the egg-white mixture is completely cooled.
8. MIX in butter slowly, in small amounts, waiting for each addition to be incorporated before adding more, until all butter is incorporated. Add liqueur, if desired.
9. DIVIDE buttercream into three bowls, with 1/4 in each of two bowls and the remaining 1/2 in the third bowl.
10. MIX one 1/4 portion of frosting with orange food coloring and the other 1/4 portion of frosting with yellow food coloring, keeping the remaining 1/2 portion untinted.
11. DECORATE CAKE: Frost cake with a crumb coat using the untinted frosting, then chill cake in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
12. FILL 3 separate pastry bags, one with each of the 2 tinted frostings and one with the remainder of the untinted frosting.
13. PIPE frostings around cake in thirds, starting with yellow frosting and ending with white frosting. Use a flat edge to smooth the frosting around cake.
14. ATTACH star tips to the 3 pastry bags with remaining frosting in each. Starting with yellow frosting, pipe rosettes along the rim of the cake. Repeat with remaining frostings, stacking each color on top of the other.
15. ARRANGE candy corn candies on top of cake as desired.