School Bus Cake

Name: School Bus Cake
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12-16 servings.
Ingredients: 1 package yellow cake mix (regular size); 1 cup butter, softened; 1 cup shortening; 8 to 9 cups confectioners' sugar; 1/4 cup milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons black paste or gel food coloring; 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon yellow paste or liquid food coloring; 2 Oreo cookies, cut in half; 2 yellow gumdrops; 6 red gumdrops

Here comes the big yellow bus! Kayla could hardly wait to board a real one to go to kindergarten, so I made her birthday cake to look like a school bus. It wasn't very complicated to decorate, yet everyone immediately recognized the sweet vehicle. -Leslie Miller, Butler, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup shortening
8 to 9 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black paste or gel food coloring
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon yellow paste or liquid food coloring
2 Oreo cookies, cut in half
2 yellow gumdrops
6 red gumdrops

Directions

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans.
Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place cakes end to end on a 22x8-in. covered board. Level if needed. From the top of one end, form the front of the bus by cutting out a section 1 in. deep and 3 in. long (Save the removed piece for another use.)
For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and shortening until fluffy. Add 6 cups confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining confectioners' sugar until desired consistency is reached.
Tint 3/4 cup frosting with black food coloring; set aside. Tint remaining frosting yellow. Frost top and sides of cake with yellow frosting. Frost cut edge of cookies with yellow frosting to form wheel wells; place two cookie halves on each side of bus.
Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a #5 round tip. Fill the bag with black frosting. Outline windows on both sides of bus; pipe strips under windows. Pipe windshield and back window; fill in with black frosting. Pipe lines on front of grille. Place yellow gumdrops on front of bus for headlights; place red gumdrops on front and back for lights.

Originally published as School Bus Cake in Taste of Home August/September 1998