Water Park Cake

Cooking Instructions

Tint 1 can frosting light blue with food color; set aside. Spoon 1⁄2 cup frosting from other can into a ziptop bag; seal.

Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread top with some blue frosting. Top with other cake, flat side up. Starting about 1 in. from front edge of cake, cut a kidney-shape outline about 11⁄2 in. deep. Using a fork, remove cake in outline in an even layer. (You won’t need cutout piece of cake.)

Water: Prepare gelatin using a total of 2 cups of water. Set in a bowl of ice cubes and water; stir until gelatin just begins to thicken. Pour into a spouted measuring cup; pour into pool and refrigerate at least 2 hours until set. (Refrigerate any remaining gelatin for splashes.)

Teddy Grahams: Divide remaining untinted frosting among cups; tint each a desired color for decorating bear cookies. Spoon each color into a ziptop bag; cut a tiny tip off corner of each and pipe clothing and details on bears; let dry.

Flags & ladder: Cut striped sour belt candy into five 1- to 11⁄2-in. flags. Cut tip off a corner of bag with vanilla frosting and pipe a line on top of 5 pretzels. Attach a flag; let dry at least 30 minutes. Cut 2 pretzel sticks into 1-in. pieces for rungs on ladder. Use frosting to glue onto 2 other pretzels; let dry.

Water slide platform: Spray wafer cone blue with blue spray food color. Let dry. Water slide: Press 2 red Air Heads end to end to make an 8-in.-long strip. Curve strip and bend up sides. Heat white chocolate chips in a ziptop bag in microwave until just melted. Snip a tiny tip off corner; pipe chocolate down center of strip; sprinkle with blue sugar. Refrigerate at least 5 minutes until set. 

Place water slide platform, open end down, on a plate. Put 1 end of water slide on top of platform. Reheating chocolate if necessary, pipe a generous drop to secure slide. Prop up with cans or boxes; let set at least 15 minutes.

Frost top and sides of cake with remaining blue frosting; spread smooth. Pipe outline around pool with vanilla frosting.

Waves: Microwave blue Air Heads a few seconds to soften. With a rolling pin, roll out pieces end to end to 24 in. long. Cut out waves with scissors along 1 edge; cut straight along other edge. Press strip around base of cake.

Surfer: Cut the green Air Heads into a 2-in. oval. Press onto side of cake on top of a wave. Cut a small triangle as the fin. Add a bear surfer.

Attach mini M&M’s around top edge of cake. Insert a flag in spice drop; set in place on top of platform. Insert remaining flags in cake; add ladder, gummy ring, ball and bears. Chop reserved gelatin; place at base of slide. Pipe whitecaps on top of waves with vanilla frosting, birds on side with blue-tinted frosting. Crush a few undecorated bears; sprinkle at base of cake for sand.

Note: Blue decorating spray can be found in the cake decorating section of supermarkets.

Planning Tip: Can be prepared through Step 8 up to 1 day ahead. Cover cake with a bowl or large pot and refrigerate. Leave decorations at room temperature. Make remaining decorations and place on cake up to about 2 hours before serving. Leave at room temperature.