Dragon Birthday Cake

I made this fun cake a few months back for my son's 2nd birthday. I'm always a little nervous until I have a finished product in my hands but I actually loved how this one turned out! My 2 year old got a big kick out of it! I got some pretty funny pictures of him pretending to be a dragon too, roaring and trying to eat the whole cake without any hands. It was a good night:) I would definitely make this cake again. The icing used for the scales is time-consuming but very easy and totally worth it. And with a little creativity and a few minor changes in the decorating, this cake could easily pass for a dragon, dinosaur, alligator etc. Bonus! The biggest advice I could give, and this goes for any birthday cake, would be to start early! Most of the time I try to bake the cakes the night before and freeze them overnight, and I can get right to work the next morning. Give yourself lots of time (just in case) and creating a special cake for your little one becomes so much more fun and a lot less stressful!

Dragon Birthday Cake

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe

2 (9-inch) round cakes, prepared
3 (16-oz) tubs of white frosting, if you go really heavy on the frosting you may want to buy an extra tub just in case
Green food coloring
Pastry bag, wide star tip & wide round tip
Chocolate sugar wafer cookies, cut on diagonal and paired with second cookie on the long side
2 blue M & M's for eyes
Red licorice, cut into triangles for teeth
16 chocolate chips

1. Using a cake mix or your favorite recipe, bake 2 (9-inch) round cakes in a well greased/floured pan. Allow to cool completely before removing. Very carefully remove from pan. You may now freeze the cakes for easier handling while shaping if you wish and have the time but it isn't necessarily essential, just makes the cake a lot easier to work with.

2. For the body, cut the first cake in half and sandwich the halves together, flat sides facing, with a layer of frosting in between. Set the cake upright with the cut side down, using a few dabs of frosting to stick it to the serving plate, if needed.

3. For the appendages, use 2nd round cake to shape different body parts (see diagram below) and attach to the body using frosting or possibly toothpicks if needed. Crumb coat the entire dragon with a light layer of frosting. Doesn't have to be perfect but worth the extra step. This was one of the most difficult steps for me as the cake I used for the appendages was quite soft and crumbly at this point. If you have time, stick it in the freezer for a bit beforehand and your life will be a little easier.

(These may not be exactly the right proportions, I just wanted to give you an idea of what I did.  I probably made the tail just a little bigger than drawn below)


4. Tint the remaining frosting green or any other color you prefer, reserving 1/2 T. white frosting for the placement of the eyes. Using a pastry bag with a wide, star tip and working from the bottom up to just below the top of the head cover the dragon's head and tail with peaks of green icing. Switch to a round tip, and cover the feet and head of the dragon with streaks of green frosting.

5. For the final touches, add chocolate wafer cookie back plates, chocolate chip claws, 2 blue M & M's for the eyes, and red licorice for the teeth. (Note: I didn't use any but if you choose to use toothpicks at all, be sure to remove them when serving the cake:)