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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 cake baked in a ½-quart glass bowl (Pyrex)
• Orange food coloring*
• 2 cans (16 oz each) vanilla frosting
• 1/3 cup chocolate frosting
• 12 yellow Twizzlers
• 1 package Twizzlers Peel-N-Pull

What you'll need:

• A bread knife
• A serving platter
• 1 resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)
• Scissors or kitchen shears

Trimming the cakes:

1. Place the round cakes on a clean work surface. Using a bread knife, trim the tops to make them level. Trim the top of the bowl cake to make level.

For the frosting:

1. Add orange food coloring to 1 cup of the vanilla frosting to tint it orange. Add a few teaspoons of the chocolate frosting to achieve the right shade of basketball orange; set the frosting aside.
2. Spoon the remaining chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag.

Frosting the cake:

1. Place a round cake layer on a serving platter. Spread some of the vanilla frosting on top. Place the second round cake layer on top, cut side down, and press to make level.
2. Spread the remaining vanilla frosting on the top and sides of the cakes and make smooth.
3. Use clean scissors to cut the yellow Twizzlers in half, lengthwise. Cut the licorice halves into pieces long enough to lay on the diagonal on the side of the cake for the hoop net.
4. Space the pieces in parallel diagonal lines about 2 ½ inches apart. Cut the remaining pieces to fit as diagonal lines in the opposite direction, as pictured. Press onto the cake to complete the hoop's net.
5. Do not peel the ropes of Twizzlers Pull-N-Peel laces apart. Place the ropes of Twizzlers Pull-N-Peel around top edge of cake, trimming to make the ends meet.

Finishing the basketball:

1. Place the bowl cake, cut side down, in the center of the cake. Spread evenly with the orange frosting. Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, uncovered.
2. Once the frosting has set, gently press a clean dish towel against the frosted bowl cake to make the basketball texture.
3. Snip a small corner from the bag with the chocolate frosting and pipe the lines on top of the ball, as pictured.

Cake Anatomy:

Cake Cutout: