Play Ball! Cake

Cooking Instructions

For assembling and serving the cake, have ready a tray or foil-covered board at least 18 x 12 in.

Bleachers: Working on a wax paper–lined pan, using frosting as “glue,” line up 6 sugar cubes and glue together. Spread tops of first 4 cubes with frosting; line up 4 cubes on frosting, gluing sides together. Spread frosting on top of first 2 cubes gluing sides together to make a steplike riser. Repeat twice with remaining cubes to make a total of 3 risers. Set aside sugar wafers for seats until final assembly. Glue 1 Kit Kat section upright to back of each riser. Gently but firmly poke a 1⁄3-in.-deep hole into top of each Kit Kat with a toothpick.

Pennants: Cut a 11⁄4-in.-long strip from both blue and red sides of Fruit by the Foot. Wrap 1 short edge of each around toothpicks, pressing firmly to adhere. Cut a V in each. American flag: Cut two 11⁄2-in.-long strips from red side of Fruit by the Foot. Slightly overlap 2 long edges and press firmly to adhere. Cut a 3⁄4-in.-long strip from the blue side; press firmly on upper left side of flag. Wrap left edge of flag around a toothpick; press firmly to adhere. In a cup or small bowl, mix 1 Tbsp frosting with a scant 1⁄2 tsp water until well blended (see Tip). With tip of a toothpick dot frosting on blue area for stars; “paint” white stripes on red area. Pompoms: Cut two 2-in.-long strips from both blue and red sides of Fruit by the Foot (4 total). Cut fringe halfway through 1 long edge. Tightly roll up unfringed edge, pressing to adhere. Fluff fringe. Make 3 more. Set Pennants, Flag and Pompoms on wax paper. Add to lined pan.

Spectators and Players: Put 1 Tbsp frosting into each of 6 cups or small bowls. Add a scant 1⁄2 tsp water to each. Color 1 black, 1 blue, 1 brown, 1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow, stirring to blend well. (You already have white.) For sitting spectators, gently saw Teddy Grahams and Bearwiches in half crosswise with a serrated knife. Separate back half of Bearwich legs from front. Using only front, glue legs to bears in sitting position with unthinned frosting; let dry. With a toothpick or small paintbrush, use thinned frosting to paint eyes, nose, uniforms, shoes and clothing on bears, letting first color dry at least 30 minutes before adding another. Add to pan to dry. Bat: Cut about 1⁄8 off the caramel. Shape by rolling between fingers; glue to batter’s hand. Glue pompoms to cheerleaders’ hands. Let frosting dry.

Scoreboard: Glue tea biscuit to 2 sections Kit Kat wafers. Paint 1 side with thinned white frosting; let dry. Paint “Home”, “Visit”, “Total”, innings and total boxes with tip of a toothpick dipped in black frosting. Add to pan to dry.

Playing Field: Prepare cake mix. Bake in a wax paper–lined 13 x 9-in. baking pan as box directs. Cool in pan completely. Invert on serving tray, leaving enough room at 1 end of tray for bleachers. Peel off wax paper. Dugout: About 11⁄2 in. from bleacher end of cake, cut a 3-in.-long, 1-in.-wide and 3⁄4-in.-deep rectangle for dugout. Split a sugar wafer; scrape off filling. Cut 2 small triangles from ends of half the wafer. Reserve other half and triangles.

Using unthinned white frosting, spread top of cake, inside dugout and sides of cake with a thin layer to seal crumbs; let set. Draw shape of infield with a toothpick, marking bases, pitcher’s mound and home plate.

Put 11⁄4 cups frosting in a medium bowl; tint grass-green. Spread to cover grassy areas, leaving a circle in middle of diamond for pitcher’s mound. Press reserved sugar wafer triangles into frosting at ends of dugout. Lean split sugar wafer on triangle edges at back of dugout. Let frosting set.

Reserve 2 Tbsp unthinned white frosting for glue. Use remaining to frost sides of cake. With water and a small brush barely moisten area of cake to be sprinkled with soil. Sprinkle with crushed Teddy Grahams. Place Chiclets at bases, Necco wafer at home plate.

To assemble: Place 2 risers 51⁄2 in. apart at dugout edge of cake; set third riser in between. Glue reserved sugar wafers on risers for seats. Insert pennants and flag in Kit Kats. Glue scoreboard to side of cake. Place 3 visiting team members in dugout. Place coaches, umpire and remaining players on the field, pressing gently into frosting. Glue cheerleaders and spectators on and around bleachers.

TIP Keep frosting tightly covered when not using.

Planning Tip: Decorations can be made up to 5 days ahead. Store loosely covered at room temperature. The Playing Field can be prepared through Step 7 up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate loosely covered. Proceed with Step 8 up to 3 hours before serving and leave at room temperature.