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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:

• 1 (9-inch) round cake
• 1 can (12 oz) whipped milk-chocolate frosting
• 1 small cake baked in an 8-oz ramekin
• 1 graham cracker
• 2 green Runts
• 1 pink Runt
• 6 (2-inch) pieces black licorice laces
• 1 tube black decorating icing

What you'll need:

• A serving platter
• A bread knife
• A serrated knife
• A fork

Trimming the cake:

1. Place the cake on a serving platter. Using the bread knife, cut a 2 by 1-inch beveled edge from one side of the cake. Attach the trimmed piece along the untrimmed side of the cake with some milk-chocolate frosting for the cat's tail.
2. Trim the top of the ramekin cake to make it level, turn it over, and attach it, cut side down, to the other side of the tail for the cat's head.
3. Cut the graham cracker into two 1-inch triangles using a serrated knife. Press the graham-cracker triangles into the top of the ramekin cake for the cat's ears.

To frost the cake:

1. Spread the remaining milk-chocolate frosting over the cake to cover.
2. Working in a spiral from the bottom up, place the tines of a fork into the frosting and gently pull up on the frosting to create the furlike texture in the picture.

For the optional calico frosting:

1. Tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring and spoon into a resealable plastic bag.
2. Spoon the remaining untinted vanilla frosting into a separate resealable plastic bag.
3. Spoon the chocolate frosting into another resealable plastic bag.
4. Snip a small corner from each bag of frosting. Starting at the tip of the tail, pipe a line of teardrop-shaped dabs of white frosting. Alternate with a line of orange frosting dabs and a row of chocolate frosting dabs. Overlap the 3 colors in rows and continue until the tail is covered. Continue piping every color of frosting onto the base of the cake and around the head of the cat, always starting from the bottom and working your way up.

To finish decoration:

1. Press the green Runts onto the cat's face for the eyes; press the pink Runt into the center of its face for the nose.
2. Insert the black licorice lace whiskers on either side of the cat's face.
3. Finish by piping black decorating icing on the eyes for the pupils.

Cake Anatomy:

Cake Cutout: