Happy Birthday love!

Last week, my wonderful husband turned 36 years old! He never asks for much and always tries to give me everything! In years past, we have reunited with our families at Myrtle Beach and celebrated his birthday together, but things just didn’t work out this year. So to try and make him feel special, I made him a 10 inch cake in the shape of a cheeseburger(which is one of his favorite foods)!

The birthday boy with his cheeseburger cake and butterbeer!

I got the recipe out of this month’s Food Network magazine and made sure I prepared the cakes a day ahead. That way all that was left to do was to frost and assemble. Easy as cake…cheeseburger cake!! Enjoy and Happy Birthday B!

Cutting a big slice of cheeseburger cake!

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 2 18.25-ounce boxes chocolate cake mix
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup green decorating sugar or granulated sugar
• 8 spearmint leaf gummy candies
• 3 ounces orange rolled fondant (available at craft stores)
• Cornstarch, for dusting
• 1 16-ounce tub vanilla frosting
• 1 16-ounce tub chocolate frosting
• 3/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
• 5 drops red food coloring
• 2 tablespoons crispy rice cereal

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl and two 8-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray. Beat the cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil in a large bowl with a mixer.

Divide the batter among the bowl and pans; bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes for the pans and about 45 minutes for the bowl. Cool in the pans 15 minutes, then unmold onto racks.

Make the lettuce: Sprinkle some green or white sugar on a cutting board. Roll out the spearmint candies to 1/8 inch thick with a rolling pin, sprinkling with more sugar to keep the candies from sticking.

Cut each flattened gummy piece into 3 strips. Fold each strip accordion-style to make ruffles; pinch the ends together.

Make the cheese: Roll out the orange fondant on a cornstarch-dusted surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Trim the fondant into a 7-inch square; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Trim the top of 1 round cake and the flat side of the bowl cake to make them level; crumble the trimmings. Mix the vanilla frosting, 4 tablespoons chocolate frosting and the yellow and red food coloring in a bowl to make a light brown frosting.

Make the bottom bun: Put the trimmed round cake on a serving plate or cake board. Frost with some of the light brown frosting. Arrange the gummy-candy ruffles around the edge of the cake.

Make the patty: Spread the remaining chocolate frosting over the top and sides of the untrimmed round cake. Press the crumbled cake trimmings into the frosting.

Assemble the burger: Put the chocolate patty on the bottom bun, then drape the orange fondant on top. Frost the bowl-shaped cake with the remaining light brown frosting; place on the patty. Press the rice cereal into the frosting.