This Great Cake Contest entry was submitted by Alabama-mom from Auburn, Alabama: The cactus cake is a replica of a saguaro cactus. It's served in a terra cotta pot filled with "sand". Looks so real it will fool your fiesta guests!
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What you'll need
- 1 white cake mix baked in a 8-cup oven proof bowl.
- 1 chocolate cake mix baked in a 8-cup oven proof bowl.
- 4-5 cups green frosting
- 20-30 angel hair pasta noodles (broken into short lengths)
- 1 12-inch terra cotta saucer (goes under a flower pot)
- 2-3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- chili pepper shaped candles (optional)
- 1 wooden skewer (optional)
- 12-inch sheet aluminum foil
- 1 sandwich bag
How to make it
Bake each cake mix in a well greased and floured 8-cup oven safe bowl. I used a Pampered Chef batter bowl. Follow package instructions and bake until a wooden skewer comes out clean. (this may as much as double the baking time listed in the box). Cool cakes completely on a cooling rack. Level the tops with a long serrated knife, if necessary.
Liberally cover the top of one cake with green frosting. Place the second cake top to top with the first cake using the thick layer of frosting to secure the two together. Note: You may wish to put a wooden skewer straight down through both layers for additional stability. Line the bottom of your terra cotta saucer with aluminum foil being careful to cover only the bottom of the saucer.
Place your 2-layer football shaped cake on its end in the center of the lined saucer. Frost completely with green frosting. Use a sandwich bag to pipe ribs from top to bottom all the way around your cactus using the same frosting. Insert the broken up noodle in little clumps along the ribs. Fill the bottom of the saucer with graham cracker crumbs to look like sand. Add candles if you wish."
