The season of festivities is quickly approaching. Halloween parties are sure to pop up all around. This is a fun festive recipe sure to delight all who eat these mini tea pumpkin cakes – a delight for sight as much as for the taste buds.

½ cup pressed apple cider
1 tsp Puerh tea
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 tsp fresh finely grated ginger
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
¼ cup corn oil

Heat the cider in the microwave to a simmer, about 1 ½ minutes. Steep the puerh tea in the cider for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl combine pumpkin puree, ginger, condensed milk, nutmeg and cinnamon. Combine the ingredients with a stand or hand mixer. Then slowly add in the puerh cider. Once combined, add in one egg at a time until combined.

2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

Combine all dry ingredients together. Once combined slowly add to the wet mixture while mixing on low speed.

Grease a buntlet pan (substitute: mini bunt pans or regular sized bunt pans). If using 2 regular sized bunt pans, you will need to double the recipe. Take a small scoop or spoon and fill the bunts ¾ of the way full. Place into a preheated 375° oven and bake for 15 minutes. If using mini bunt or regular bunt pans it will be necessary to cook for a longer time. In this case turn the oven down to 350° and cook until a tooth pick comes out clean when poked in the center of the cake. Let cool completely upside down. Once cooled, cut off any excess poof from the top of the cake to make a flat surface. Set the cake tops aside to be used in any way you wish or just to snack on. ¾ cup cream cheese

½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp of milk
yellow and red food dye
1 pkg soft caramels

In a small mixing bowl combine cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. Take a small dab of the frosting and place on the cut side of the cake. Place another cake cut side down on top making sure to match the grooves on the side of the bunt. Once all the cakes are combined add in 3 drops of yellow food dye and 1 drop of red to the remaining frosting. Mix together until the frosting is orange. Dip one side of the combined bunts into the frosting. Cut a caramel in half and shape like the stem of a pumpkin. Place in the center top of the frosted side of the double bunt.

Recipe serves about 12 people.

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