Toot & Puddle Cakes

It's a kitchen adventure when you and your little helper make this pair of party time cakes.

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Ingredients

• 1 roll (16.5 oz.) refrigerated sugar-cookie dough
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 box (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
• 2 cans (16 oz. each) vanilla frosting
• Red and yellow food coloring
• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder, divided
• 2 pieces pink fruit chews, (Laffy Taffy, Starburst fruit chews or Jolly Rancher fruit chews)
• 4 pieces chocolate taffy (Tootsie rolls)
• 2 marshmallows
• 4 brown candy-covered chocolates, (M&M's)
• 1 tube (4.25 oz.) blue decorating frosting

Supplies

• Toot & Puddle cake template
• 2 cookie sheets
• Parchment paper
• 2 round 8-in. cake pans
• Toothpick
• Rolling pin
• Resealable plastic bags
• Wire cooling rack

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Knead the sugar-cookie dough with the flour until smooth. Roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use the Toot & Puddle cake templates to cut out two ears for each cake. Transfer the dough cut-outs to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown and firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

2. Step 2

   Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. Divide evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake until golden--a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

3. Step 3

   Spoon 1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting into a resealable bag. Next, tint another 1/2 cup of the frosting yellow with the food coloring and spoon into a resealable bag. Tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting dark pink with the red food coloring and 1 teaspoon of the cocoa powder. Spoon this frosting into a resealable bag. Next, tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting light pink for the inside of the ears. Lastly, tint the remaining vanilla frosting dusty pink with the red food coloring and the remaining 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder. Spoon 1/4 cup of this dusty pink frosting into a resealable bag.

4. Step 4

   Place the cakes on a work surface. Trim a 1 1/2-inch slice from one edge of each cake. Cut a 2-inch tapered piece from each end of the trimmed pieces and place along the side of each cake at the base, (see photo), to make the cakes wider at the cut end. Secure the cake pieces with a dot of dusty pink frosting.

5. Step 5

   Smoothly spread the light pink frosting on top of the cookies. Don't worry about the sides. Spread the remaining dusty pink frosting on top of the cakes and make smooth. Make a cut into the top sides of cake, at 2 and 11 o'clock with a small paring knife. Insert the base end of the ear cookies into the cake and secure. Snip a small corner from the bag with the dusty pink frosting and pipe a few lines around the ear cookies.

6. Step 6

   Snip small corners from the other bags of frostings. Frost the flat edge and up 1 inch onto the cake, with the yellow frosting on cake. Repeat this process with the vanilla frosting on the other cake. Pipe several blue lines of frosting over the vanilla frosting to look like a striped sweater.

7. Step 7

   Cut the marshmallows in half crosswise. Press them on top of the cakes, cut side down as the eyes. Pipe a dot of vanilla frosting on top of the marshmallows and add the chocolate candies as the pupils.

8. Step 8

   Heat the pink fruit chews in the microwave for no more than 3 seconds to soften. Press two fruit chews together and roll them out to 1/8-inch thickness. Use the snout template to cut out a snout for each cake. Repeat process with the chocolate taffy--only use the mouth templates.

9. Step 9

   Arrange the snout and mouth fruit chew pieces on top of the cakes. Pipe eyebrows, nostrils, and an outline of the mouth and smile with the dark pink frosting.

Nurtition Facts

• Calories: 473
• Total Fat: 19g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Trans Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 37mg
• Sodium: 267mg
• Total Carbs: 74g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 57g
• Protein: 3g