CREATIVE SYNDICATE

Be the ghostess with the mostess this Halloween, and throw a wickedly wonderful celebration. The entertaining experts from the Wilton Test Kitchen know all the tricks and offer plenty of treats for hosting a bone-chilling blast that will have friends and family shrieking with delight.

There's no bones about it, a spooktacular skeleton cake will make for a boo-tiful Halloween centerpiece. Using a skeleton casket pan makes this impressive dessert - filled with fall flavors like cinnamon and apples - easy to achieve. Simply decorate with icing and watch as your skeleton comes back from the grave.

For added fright, surround the coffin with Spooky Pop Cupcakes - swirled with brightly- colored icing and things that go bump in the night. Just be sure to pair sweets with a be"witch"ing beverage and you'll be caught in a web of friends all evening long.

All of these and other terrifyingly- terrific project ideas, supplies and more are available at www.wilton.com.

Back From the Grave Cake Makes about 12 servings

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flou r • 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3/4 cups sweetened applesauce

• 1 1/4 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium apple)

• 1 can (16 ounces) White Decorator Icing

Preheat oven to 325∞F. Prepare 3D Skeleton Casket pan with vegetable pan spray.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla; mix well. Alternately add flour mixture and applesauce to butter mixture.

Spread about 1/2 of cake batter so that it reaches the first horizontal line inside the pan. Sprinkle diced apples evenly over batter. Top with remaining batter, smoothing out the top.

Bake 58 to 62 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on cooling grid. Decorate cooled cake with tip 5 and decorator icing.

Spooky Pop Cupcakes

Each cupcake serves 1

Graveyard Cupcake Decorating Set, Spooky Pop Cupcake Combo Pack or solid color baking cups

• Favorite cupcake recipe or mi x

• 1 can (16 ounces) White Decorator Icing

• Orange, Green or other desired Icing Color

• 1 can (16 ounces) Chocolat e Decorator Icing

Preheat oven to 350∞F. Line cavities of standard muffin pan with baking cups. Bake your favorite cupcakes in prepared pan. Cool completely. Place some cupcakes in Skeleton Cupcake Wraps.

Tint white decorator icing with icing color. Use a spatula to ice smooth or pipe tip 1M icing swirls on cupcake top. Insert icing decorations or pix from decorating set and combo pack.