3 DAYS IN ADVANCE

Make fondant trims. Tint 5 oz. fondant moss green. Use 9 in. fondant roller with purple guide rings to roll out 1/8 in. thick. Use cutters from leaves and acorns metal cutter set to cut four small and four medium oak leaves. Place on cornstarch- dusted wave flower formers. Let dry 24 hours.

For tendrils, use fondant roller with pink guide rings to roll out remaining green fondant 1/16 in. thick. Use knife to cut eight to 10 strips, 1/8 in. wide x 10 in. long. Wrap around cornstarch-dusted dowel rod. Let set 5 to 10 minutes then slide off onto cornstarch-dusted board. Let dry 24 hours. Reserve excess fondant.

Tint 5 oz. fondant ivory. Roll out 1/8 in. thick. Use cutters from set to cut three large oak leaves and three large maple leaves. Place on thin shaping foam. Use small veining tool from 10-pc. gum paste/fondant tool set to score center and branching vein lines. Let dry 24 hours in various positions on cornstarch-dusted wave flower formers.

2 DAYS IN ADVANCE

Highlight leaves. For green leaves, mix equal amounts of spruce green and lime green Color Dust in a small bowl. Use dry brush and Color Dust mixture to highlight center veins. For ivory leaves, use dry brush and orange, red, brown, and goldenrod Color Dust to highlight leaves.

1 DAY IN ADVANCE

Bake and cool 2-piece large pumpkin cake and four mini pumpkin bottom cakes. Use firm-textured batter such as pound cake for large pumpkin. On large pumpkin, use knife to trim off leaves and stem from top.

Prepare buttercream icing following recipe directions. Use spatula and icing to attach halves together. Place large cake and one mini cake on foil-wrapped cake circles, cut to fit.

Cover cakes. Tint 24 oz. fondant orange/moss green combination (for orange). Roll out 1/8 in. thick as needed. Cover cakes with fondant. Use veining tool from 10-pc. gum paste/fondant tool set to push fondant into vertical indents on cakes. In a small bowl, combine two parts orange with one part red Color Dust. Use dry brush to apply mixture in indents.

Stack cakes. Position large pumpkin cake on serving platter. Position mini cake with cake circle. Use icing to attach top mini cake. Insert sharpened dowel rod through cakes to base board.

DAY OF CELEBRATION

Attach green trims. Use thinned fondant adhesive to attach three medium oak leaves between bottom and middle cakes and two small oak leaves to each mini cake. Use thinned fondant adhesive to attach two or three tendrils to each cake.

Use reserved green fondant to shape a stem, 11/2 in. high x 3/4 in. dia. at base. Use hands to taper and curve stem and pinch vertical ridges. Use thinned fondant adhesive to attach.

Position remaining trims. For hay, break up shredded wheat biscuit cereal into small pieces. Scatter around serving platter. Position ivory leaves.