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31 Incredible Birthday Cake Designs

Step-by-step recipes, designs and color pics of the easiest (and cutest) birthday cakes for boys and girls

Ingredients:

• 2 (8-inch) round cakes
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• Red food coloring
• 1 Tootsie Roll Giant (2.25 oz)
• 10 brown M&M's
• 8 to 9 marshmallows
• 6 Whoppers
• 1 sheet green fruit leather
• 2 Tootsie Rolls

What you'll need:

• A bread knife
• A resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)
• A serving platter
• Scissors or a small letter-shaped cookie cutter

Trimming the cakes:

1. Place the cakes on a clean work surface. Using a bread knife, trim the tops to make them level.
2. Spread a small amount of frosting on one cut surface. Place the other cake layer on top, cut side down and sandwich the cakes together.
3. Cut a 1-inch strip from one side of the layer cake. Cut a 2-inch deep slice from the opposite edge (see template).

For the pink frosting:

1. Spoon 1/4 cup of the untinted vanilla frosting into a resealable plastic bag.
2. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the remaining frosting to tint it a light pink.
3. Place the cake on a serving platter, deeper-cut side down. Spread the pink frosting all over the cake and make smooth.

To complete the decoration:

1. Snip a small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting. Pipe dots along each thin side of the cake and attach the brown M&M's.
2. Bend the Tootsie Roll Giant into a "C" shape to make the handle and place on the top of the cake.
3. Cut the marshmallows with clean scissors, crosswise, into 4 slices. Arrange the marshmallows as flower petals along the top of the cake, adding some vanilla frosting to help secure them to the cake. Attach the Whoppers to the center of each flower with a dot of frosting. Cut small leaf shapes from the green fruit leather and tuck them underneath the marshmallow petals as leaves.
4. Heat the 2 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave for 2 to 3 seconds to soften. Roll out onto a sheet of wax paper and cut out desired letter using clean scissors or a small cookie cutter. Press the letter onto the front of the cake.

Cake Anatomy:

Cake Cutout: