Are you hungry? It’s time to feed you! Recipe creator extraordinaire Becky Parr created this Carnival Cake, inspired by my novel A COLD NIGHT FOR ALLIGATORS! It’s set in an abandoned theme park, so the ingredients reflect all the flavors of carnival goodies. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Cake

1 box french vanilla cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

1 5.25 oz package instant vanilla pudding

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs beaten

1/2 cup warm water

Caramel Buttercream Frosting

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

Pinch of salt

5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2-3 Tbsp heavy cream

Topping

2 cups chopped peanuts

1 bag of caramel corn

1 cup of chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 9” cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Beat all 6 ingredients together until well blended. Divide the batter evenly into the two cake pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes completely.
2. Frosting: Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a heavy saucepan and cook and stir semi-frequently over low heat. Once butter is completely melted, stir constantly for 1 minute. Set to medium heat and cook without stirring for 3-6 minutes, or until bubbles form across the entire caramel surface and the caramel turns a rich amber color. Pour caramel into a heatproof large glass bowl and let cool. Once cool, add powdered sugar and beat until it comes together. I added a bit more almond milk plus heavy cream to get the right silky frosting texture.
3. Assembly: Place one layer of cake on a plate and cover with caramel frosting. Sprinkle the frosted top with chopped peanuts. Add the top layer of cake. Frost the top and sides with the caramel frosting. Cover the sides of the cake with chopped peanuts. Cover the top with caramel corn. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the caramel corn.
4. Best enjoyed while reading A COLD NIGHT FOR ALLIGATORS!

Order your copy of my debut horror-thriller novel, A Cold Night for Alligators: https://viggyhampton.com/book/

Sound effects courtesy of Pixabay

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