Halloween Pull Apart Cupcake Cake

For Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, vegetable oil and vanilla in a separate bowl. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until the batter is just blended. Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

For Frosting:

Combine the shortening and vanilla in a large bowl and beat 30 seconds. Gradually beat in 1/2 of the powdered sugar and the milk. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Tint frosting with food coloring if desired.

Cake Assembly:

Peel the paper cupcake liners off the cupcakes.

For a pumpkin cake-Line the bottom and sides of a round cake pan with wax paper. Tightly pack the cupcakes, top down, into the prepared pan to form a round. Cover the cupcakes tightly and let stand 2 hours. Invert the pan over a serving plate. Remove the cupcakes from the pan, using the wax paper as an aid. Prepare the frosting in the recipe above, tinting the desired shade of orange.

To make other shapes, ghosts, etc. use a Wilton cake pan of the desired shape and follow the assembly procedure above. Tint frosting as desired.