Coolest Alligator Birthday Cake 50

by Karla B.
(St. Albert, Alberta, CANADA)

Homemade Alligator Birthday Cake

I was inspired from swimming lessons and my son's laughter at this one alligator song. And I wanted to make a cake for my son's 1st birthday with very colorful icing. I usually start gathering ideas and how to tips from www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com (I love your site) and there were lots of ideas for an Alligator Birthday Cake to choose from.

I drew pictures of the top view on paper combining features I liked from different pictures. I enlarged my picture with the photo copier to get just the right size to fit my cake pan. I used a couple of 9x13 sheet cakes and cut and pieced together. I am very crafty and a perfectionist, I've also made a Cookie Monster, Johnny Tractor and Lightning McQueen for my sons' birthdays. I love making cakes for my boys, but they do take a lot of time. Their birthdays are within a week of each other's so talk about pressure from the bar I've set!

I have used chocolate and a vanilla pound cake recipes. I make the cakes ahead and freeze them until I'm ready to decorate, they stay very moist that way. I find the pound cake doesn't crumble when I carve the pieces. I followed the directions for the Wilton butter cream icing and I used the Wilton colors.

I used 2 large marshmallows for the eyes and 2 small marshmallows for the nostrils. Once the cake is pieced and iced together then I use a toothpick to mark where I outline with black icing. I do all the outlining and then I used a star tip to fill in with the colored icing. The star tip helped me hide some imperfections.

I used bamboo skewers to help move the icing if needed into just the right spot. Voila, a perfect, very cool birthday cake.