1 box white cake mix

Ingredients called for on the cake mix box (typically eggs, oil, and water)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3–4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4–6 tablespoons milk

Orange food coloring

Black decorating icing

Green decorating icing

Round cake board or serving platter

Piping bag (optional, but makes decorating easier)

Preheat the oven to the temperature specified on your cake mix and line a cupcake tin with liners.

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box.

Divide the batter between lined cupcake tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.

Beat the softened butter until smooth and fluffy.

Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to create a creamy, spreadable frosting.

Add orange food coloring until you reach a bright pumpkin color.

Transfer the orange buttercream to a piping bag if desired. This makes it much easier to add frosting to each cupcake. If you don't have a piping bag, a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off works well too.

Place a small dab of frosting on the bottom of each cupcake to act as "glue," then arrange the cupcakes on a cake board in a rounded pumpkin shape. Leave space at the top for the stem cupcake.

Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, gently spread the frosting until the cupcakes blend together into one smooth pumpkin shape.

Place another cupcake at the top to create the pumpkin stem.

If you notice small gaps around the edges of the pumpkin, trim extra cupcakes in half and tuck them into the empty spaces before covering them with additional frosting. Smooth everything together so it looks like one large cake.

Using the tip of a butter knife, lightly trace the eyes, nose, and smile into the orange frosting. This gives you a guide before adding the black icing and makes it much easier to get everything centered.

Outline the traced design with black decorating icing, then fill in each section. Use a butter knife to gently smooth the icing for a cleaner finish.

Use green decorating icing to cover the stem cupcake and create the look of a pumpkin stem.

Place the completed pull apart cupcake cake in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up before transporting or serving.