How to make a mermaid cake

Preparing the mermaid birthday cake shapes and frosting

• Trim off rounded tops from 8-inch cakes. On serving plate, place 1 round cake layer, cut side down. Spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Top with second round cake layer, cut side down. Trim off rounded top of custard-cup cake to make flat surface. With small amount of frosting, attach custard-cup cake, flat side down, to top of layer cake, lining up rounded edge with layer cake edge. Using doll as a guide, cut and remove rounded piece from custard-cup cake to make seat for doll. To make a seat for the doll in your mermaid cake, use doll as a guide, cut and remove rounded piece from custard-cup cake. (Discard cut-out piece.)
• Spoon 3/4 cup frosting into small bowl.

Decorating the mermaid birthday cake

• Frost sides and top of cake with remaining white frosting. To add waves, frost lower side of cake with blue frosting. Dip a fork in a few drops additional blue food color; swirl in blue frosting on cake to add wave effect. Sprinkle top of cake with colored sugars.
• Tie hair of fashion doll in ponytail. Wrap body of doll with plastic wrap, covering bustline and leaving arms free and shoulders uncovered. With 2 fruit snack rolls, wrap plastic-wrapped portion of doll, overlapping rolls and pressing to stick together. Wrap third snack roll around legs and extend 2 inches beyond feet; press together to form a fin shape, trimming if necessary. Place doll in seat on mermaid cake.
• To make starfish, on surface sprinkled with granulated sugar, flatten each gumdrop to make 1 1/2-inch round. Using scissors, cut 5 wedges from each gumdrop round to form a star. Pull gently to extend points of stars. Decorate cake and serving plate with starfish and sea creature candies.

The mermaid cake recipe serves 12.

2    8-inch round cakes
1     cake baked in a custard cup
1 1/2    containers (1 lb each) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
1    tablespoon purple colored sugar
1    tablespoon blue colored sugar
1    fashion doll in swimsuit or sleeveless top (11 1/2 inches tall)
3    rolls Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® Blazin’ Blue Green chewy fruit snack (from 5-oz box Blastin' Berry Hot Colors)
    Granulated sugar
6    large orange, yellow and/or white gumdrops
8    assorted sea creature candies
Blue liquid food coloring