Coolest Jack Skellington Cake

When my angel asks for a Jack Skellington cake for her birthday, hyper-cakey daddy jumps right in.

Ingredients: Scissors, 2- Box yellow cake, 2- jar raspberry filling, 2- can vanilla frosting, 1 bag black Twizzlers, 1- can black fondant, 1- bat (canned), 1- 12” heart shaped pan, 2- 8” round pans.

Bake cakes. Slice all three cakes in half. Place round slice (head) at top of large cutting board. Place heart (chest) under round. Cover layer with filling of choice. Place next slice on top. Chest has one layer of filling and the head has two. This will leave you with an extra layer. Pour milk. Eat extra layer now. We need our energy. Take Black Twizzlers and cut pieces to form lapel of tuxedo on heart shaped (chest) cake. From top to bottom go small, small, wider, wider, wide, then gradually work your way down, decreasing as you go till you have a nice looking lapel. Do this BEFORE you ice the cake so you can lay it out FIRST, pick them up and place them on the side in the order you will place them on the cake. Spread white icing over head and chest. Put the twizzler pieces back in the order you laid out, this time on top of frosting. Next (and this is the tricky part) cut the twizzlers in half-length wise and then cut them in quarters. START at the Top of the chest and lay out the twizzler strips perpendicular to the lapel. Continue until pin stripes are formed.

If you are unhappy with the way it is coming out, eat more left over cake. It always works for me. Next warm and roll out fondant. Cut eyes, mouth, eyebrows and nose holes. Again IF you do this before you ice the cake you can lay out and proportion the features better. Place on cake. If you press them in you get a better 3D look. After icing crusts over a little take a sharp knife and slice into the icing, making sure to just break the surface. Draw the knife down from the middle of the neck to the jacket. This gives the impression of an overlapped shirt. Make buttonholes in the same manner. Roll small balls with fondant and place in buttonholes.

For the anal retentive among us MAKE SURE you place the buttons on the side of the button slits closest to the shirt overlap. Drain and pat dry the bat. Place bat on neck.

Pour more milk…..Happy Birthday.