These Indian corn cakes will really brighten up your Thanksgiving table. This edible centerpiece is part baking, part DIY, and totally delicious.
It’s also a great way to engage kids in a cooking project that they will love. They’ll enjoy the process of making this Indian corn cake recipe, and I’m sure they’ll enjoy eating it too!
In fact, the only problem with making this harvest cake recipe is keeping the kiddies from eating the cakes until it’s time to serve this sweet Thanksgiving dessert.
Keep reading to get this corn-shaped cake recipe.
Ingredients for this harvest cake recipe
These Indian corn cakes require a little baking and some creative crafting to make a Thanksgiving dessert you’ll be able to serve for the holiday.
To make this harvest cake recipe, you will need the following ingredients and tools:
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Indian corn cakes ingredients
- Yellow cake mix
- ½ cup of chopped peanuts
- 1 can of vanilla frosting
- 32 ounces of Reese’s pieces
Harvest corn cakes tools
- Toothpicks
- 9 inch baking pan
- Stalks of Indian corn (can also paper twist ribbon)
- Jute
- Large serving platter
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Making the Indian corn cake centerpiece
Make the cake batter according to the directions on the package and then fold in the peanuts. Cook as directed.
Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack. When the cake is completely cool, freeze it so that it will cut easily.
Cut the cake into three pieces resembling ears of corn as shown in the photo below.
These cut pieces of cake will make your “corn ears” Place them on your serving platter. Frost the top and sides of the cake pieces with 1 ½ cups of the frosting.
Leave the top of the ears un-frosted for now. Decorate the ears with the Reese’s pieces, angling them slightly so they look like the kernels on the ears of Indian corn.
Be sure to alternate the colors of the Reese’s pieces randomly to make the ears more life-like. When you are done, you’ll have three ears of Indian corn, ready for your Thanksgiving centerpiece display.
Arrange the ears on your serving dish so that they are angled out from the center piece.
Tips for adding the Reese’s pieces
These tips will make the process of adding the Reese’s pieces go much more quickly.
I found it easiest to work on one ear at a time, with the other pieces in the freezer until it was time to add the frosting to them.
Then, start with the top of the cake, and add the Reese’s pieces until it is completely covered.
When you move to the side pieces, it works best to add the pieces with your left hand and hold them in your right hand.
For the right side, the opposite works best: hold the pieces with your left hand and add them to the cake with your right hand.
Doing this makes the angle of the Reese’s pieces on the side of the cakes easier to achieve.
A final tip is to work on a small cutting board or serving dish that can be angled as you add the pieces. Then transfer the completed ears to your serving dish.
Making the corn stalk ends
Cut the ends of the Indian corn and tie with the jute. Trim well and tie the jute around the bottom of the corn stalk. Hide the jute by wrapping a piece of the corn stalk around it and securing it with a dab of hot glue.
Note: Hot glue guns, and heated glue can burn. Please use extreme caution when using a hot glue gun. Learn to use your tool properly before you start any project.
Spread some of the remaining frosting on the top end of the cake “ears.”
Press the stalks of the Indian corn against the frosting on the top of the ears. Secure them with toothpicks, hiding them under the wrapped area.
Gently gather the three sections of corn stalks together in the middle and tie with the jute. This part of the Thanksgiving display is not edible.
I added some silk leaves and pumpkins to my display. This finished off my Thanksgiving centerpiece in style.
Displaying the Indian corn cakes
These Indian corn cakes will be the highlight of your Thanksgiving dessert table. All you need are a few simple fall decor pieces to turn the harvest cakes into a Thanksgiving centerpiece.
Wait for compliments that tell you how talented you are! When the dinner is finished, slice up the the ears for dessert! The kids have been waiting for this moment, after all!
The idea for this harvest corn cake is shared from an old issue of Crafting Traditions (the magazine is no longer in print.)
What do you use as a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table? Is it edible or decorative, or both? Please tell us about it in the comments below.
More Thanksgiving recipes
- Teepee Dirt Cups – The kids will love this Native American inspired recipe.
- Pilgrim hat cookies – This first Thanksgiving inspired recipe is super easy to put together and the kids will love to help you make them.
- Rice Krispie turkeys – If you love fun food ideas, try this holiday dessert.
- Pilgrim Hat Appetizers – This savory Thanksgiving themed appetizer is festive and delicious!
If you’re looking for a kid friendly activity this holiday season, check out these Thanksgiving printables (word search, word scramble, crossword puzzle, and scavenger hunt), and search for the word ‘corn‘ in them!
Share this corn shaped cake recipe on X
Have you enjoyed learning how to make this Thanksgiving Indian corn? Let your friends and family know about it by sharing this post:
Let's decorate with Indian corn for Thanksgiving with a tasty Indian corn cake recipe. These fun cakes are shaped like ears of Indian corn and covered in Reese's pieces for a Thanksgiving centerpiece that the kids will love. Get the… Share on XPin these edible Indian corn cakes for later
Would you like a reminder of this edible Thanksgiving table centerpiece? Just pin this image to one of your Thanksgiving boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Admin note: This post for my harvest corn cake recipe first appeared on the blog in November of 2013. I have updated the post with new images, a printable project card and a video for you to enjoy.
Indian Corn Cakes - Harvest Corn Cake Recipe
These Indian corn cakes make the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dessert table. The kids will love them!
Ingredients
- Yellow cake mix
- ½ cup of chopped peanuts
- 1 can of vanilla frosting
- 32 ounces of Reese's pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to your package directions.
- Make the cake batter according to the directions on the package and fold in the peanuts.
- Bake and cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- When the cake is completely cool, freeze it for at least an hour so that it will cut and frost easily.
Making the Indian corn cakes
- Cut the cake into three ears of corn as shown in the diagram above.
- Place the cake ears on a serving platter.
- Frost the top and sides of the ears with 1 ½ cups of the frosting.
- Leave the top of the ears un-frosted for now.
- Use the Reese’s pieces to decorate the cake ears, overlapping them slightly.
- Cut the Indian corn stalk into 8-12″ lengths and tie them with the jute into three sections
- Trim well and wrap a piece of the corn stalk and secure with a dab of hot glue to hide the jute.
- Spread some of the remaining frosting on the top of the ears.
- Press the corn stalks against the frosting on the top of the ears.
- Secure it with toothpicks.
- Gently gather the corn stalks together in the middle and tie with the jute.
- Arrange the platter with silk autumn leaves and other seasonal decor items.
- Display with pride.
Notes
To make the Thanksgiving centerpiece display, you will also need the following supplies
- 9 inch baking pan
- some toothpicks
- corn stalks from Indian corn (paper twist will also work)
- 1 yard of jute
- hot glue
- large serving platter
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 154mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.