Do-it-Yourself Dad Cake

Steps

• 1

  Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl (8 inches across top) with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray).
• 2

  Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour batter into 1 1/2-quart bowl. Bake 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cake from bowl; place rounded side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. If necessary, cut off rounded top of cake.
• 3

  Divide white frosting between 2 small bowls. Add blue food color to 1 bowl to make desired blue color for jeans. Place cake on tray cut side down; spread white frosting over half of cake (for Dad's t-shirt) and blue frosting over other half (for Dad's jeans), leaving a small area in between unfrosted (for Dad's back peeking out).
• 4

  Carefully place individual blue and brown candy sprinkles along back of jeans for belt line and seams. Place mini candy-coated chocolate candies on jeans to outline pocket. Carefully fold fruit snack to look like handkerchief, and press into frosting as if it were coming out of pocket.
• 5

  Microwave chewy chocolate candy on High 3 to 5 seconds, just until moldable. Firmly press broken end of pretzel rod into side of chewy candy to make hammer. Place on cake.
• 6

  Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut tiny tip from 1 corner of bag, and pipe lines on sugar wafer to look like ruler; place on cake.
• 7

  Wrap string licorice around center of peanut butter sandwich cookie, leaving 1 end sticking out to look like tape measure; place on cake. Store loosely covered.