Caterpillar Cake
Quick Cooking
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"This colorful creeping catepillar is easy to make with a boxed cake mix and prepared frosting," assures Lee Dean of Boaz, Alabama. To save a step, tint the frosting and omit the coconut.
SERVINGS: 8-10
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 40 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
- 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
- 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
- 2-1/2 cups flaked coconut, divided
- 2 small purple gumdrops
- 1 small red gumdrop
- 2 small orange gumdrops
- 2 pretzel sticks
- Yellow, red and green liquid food coloring
Directions:
Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Fill a greased 8-oz. custard cup three-fourths full. Pour remaining batter into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan.
Bake the custard cup at 350° for 20-25 minutes and the tube cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing cakes to wire racks to cool completely.
Cut large cake in half widthwise. To form caterpillar, place one half on a 15-in. x 10-in. covered board. Place the remaining portion next to the first to form an "S." With a serrated knife, level top and bottom of small cake; place on one end of caterpillar for head.
Frost the small cake with vanilla frosting; gently press 1/4 cup coconut into frosting. Add purple gumdrops for eyes. For mouth, flatten red gumdrop between waxed paper with a rolling pin; place below eyes. For antennae, press orange gumdrops onto pretzels; insert into head.
Place 3/4 cup coconut each in three small resealable plastic bags. Tint one orange with yellow and red food coloring; tint one green and one yellow. Frost the caterpillar with remaining vanilla frosting. Press alternate colors of coconut into frosting. Yield: 8-10 servings.