The Birthday Cake

My son's first birthday presented me with an opportunity to tap into my creative side: I decided to make him a dog cake to coordinate with the dog-themed party. Surprisingly, I had a great time doing it and it was much less stressful than anticipated!

In short: I made a yellow butter cake and topped it with a homemade chocolate cream cheese/whipped cream frosting. I used a 14 in cake pan for the head, and a 9 in cake pan for the ears, which was cut like the ying yang symbol. I then used a cupcake for the muzzle - topped with a prune and black licorice for the nose - and a fruit leather for the tongue. The eyes were melting chocolates on top of white icing (leftover from the dog bone cookies I made), and the dog hair is toasted coconut and sifted cocoa powder. I also used some gel icing for the eyelashes and "freckles." What you can't see is a red licorice collar around his neck.

My son squealed with excitement when he saw it. I'm already thinking about next year's cake...