---

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 13 by 9-inch cake
• 1 ½ cans (3 cups) vanilla frosting
• Green food coloring
• Yellow food coloring
• 1 Tbsp warm water
• 1 bag (12 oz) flaked coconut
• 1 cake baked in a ½-quart Pyrex glass bowl
• &frac cup dark-chocolate frosting
• 1 cup 100 Calorie Pack Oreo Crisps

What you'll need:

• A serving platter
• A glass measuring cup
• A bread knife
• A sheet pan
• A wire rack
• 1 resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)

For the grass base:

1. Transfer the 13 by 9-inch cake to a serving platter.
2. Set aside 1 cup of vanilla frosting in a glass measuring cup.
3. Add green food coloring to the remaining vanilla frosting to tint it grass-green. Spread the green frosting over the cake to cover.
4. In a separate bowl, add green food coloring, a few drops of yellow food coloring, and 1 Tbsp warm water to the flaked coconut. Rub together until all of the coconut is tinted.
5. Press the coconut onto the frosted cake to cover completely.

For the soccer ball:

1. Using the bread knife, trim the top of the round bowl cake to make the top level. Place cake, cut side down, on a wire rack placed over a sheet pan.
2. Heat the reserved 1 cup of vanilla frosting in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until pourable, about 15 to 25 seconds. Stir well.
3. Pour the frosting over the round bowl cake to cover completely. Let frosting set for about 20 minutes.

To complete the decoration:

1. Transfer the frosted bowl cake to the center of the grass-green cake.
2. Press the Oreo Crisps onto the soccer-ball cake, about 1 ½ inches apart, to make the dark patches on the soccer ball.
3. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Snip a very small corner from the bag. Pipe lines with the chocolate frosting to connect the cookies, as pictured.

Cake Anatomy:

Cake Cutout: