Coolest Pop up Mickey Mouse Birthday Cake

I haven’t decorated a cake in probably 15 years. It was our grandson’s first birthday so it needed to be something special. I dug out my ole cake decorating supplies, dusted them off and put on my thinking cap. I bought Mickey mouse coloring books for inspiration and came up with this idea.

I made a sturdy cardboard Mickey Mouse and attached him to a wooden dowel rod. I made square boxes out of glossy photo paper and wrote letters with a black marker. The two bottom layers are 12 inch rounds and the two top cakes are 10 inch rounds. I used rice paper to trace the designs of Mickey and Minnie, Pluto, Pete and Donald from the coloring books. After frosting the cakes with almond flavored buttercream and edging with yellow and white striped shells, I applied the trimmed rice paper designs that I colored using a small paint brush dipped in water, then smoothing with a dry soft brush (this is really simple and looks great).

I slipped the boxes over the support columns and inserted into the 12 inch cakes, stuffed brightly colored tissue paper into the boxes to hide the columns, assembled the top cake and inserted the dowel rod through the top box in the middle. I also stuffed this box with tissue paper to look like Mickey is popping out of the middle. This cake is really simple since most decorations are already made and just need to be applied to the cake. The balloons and other designs are Wilton’s ready made fondant and simply applied also.

This pop up Mickey mouse birthday cake may be a little extravagant for a first birthday, but if you have an ear loving, meeska mooska, hot dog dancing, oh tootles, we’ve got ears, say cheers loving grand child, give it a try. Ethan’s expression said it all when he pointed his little finger and said “OHHHHHHHHH”