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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

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1 (9-inch) square cake
• Red food coloring
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• Blue food coloring
• 1 ice cream cone, bottom 2 inches trimmed with a serrated knife
• 1 package Twizzlers Pull-N-Peel
• 11 Hot Tamales
• 6 red Spree candies
• 9 white gumdrops
• 2 Tbsp red decorating sugar
• 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp blue decorating sugar
• 3 Tbsp mini–red, white, and blue candy stars

What you'll need:

• A bread knife
• A serving platter
• A spoon
• A rolling pin or heavy bottle

Trimming the cake:

1. Place the cake on a clean work surface. Using a bread knife, cut out the rocket-ship body shape as shown in the template.
2. Use the 2 larger trimmed pieces as the side wings of the rocket. Trim each triangle to make the long edge of each wing straight. Arrange the cake into the rocket-ship shape on a serving platter.

For the red and blue frosting:

1. Add red food coloring to 1 cup of vanilla frosting to tint it red. Frost the 2 side wings with the red frosting. Use the tip of a spoon to create indented lines in the wings.
2. Add blue food coloring to the remaining vanilla frosting to tint it light blue. Spread the body of the cake with the light blue frosting.

To decorate the body of the rocket:

1. Press the trimmed cone into the base of the cake as shown. Place some trimmed Twizzler Pull-N-Peel laces into the mouth of the cone so the laces fan out.
2. Arrange 4 Twizzler Pull-N-Peel laces along the length of the rocket-ship body, as pictured.
3. Press the Hot Tamales along the bottom edge of the rocket. Press 1 Hot Tamale into the tip of the rocket ship.
4. Press a line of 3 red Spree candies between the laces on either side of the rocket-ship body.

To finish the candy decoration:

1. Spread the red sugar onto your work surface.
2. Press 3 white gumdrops together. Using a rolling pin or a heavy bottle, roll the pressed gumdrops out in the red sugar.
3. Cut the shape of a "U" from the rolled gumdrop sheet.
4. Repeat with 3 gumdrops and the white sugar for the "S."
5. Repeat with the last 3 gumdrops and the blue sugar for the "A."
6. Arrange the gumdrop letters down the center of the rocket. Sprinkle the platter with candy stars.

Cake Anatomy: