How to Make a Butterfly Twinkie Cake

Don't let this recipe flutter by.

This whimsical cake will give you a tummy full of butterflies, but don't worry -- with simple ingredients and easy assembly, the only thing to be nervous about here is eating too much of a good thing. That's because the treat you'll be making is a literal butterfly created using triangular-shaped slices of cake for the wings and a Twinkie for the body. Decorate the cake with brightly colored frostings, candies and sprinkles. For a realistic-looking butterfly, use black and orange icing to make a magnificent monarch, or create a new species using your own wacky color combinations. Does this Spark an idea?

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9-inch round cake
Kitchen knife
Twinkie snack cake
16-oz white frosting, canned or homemade
Food coloring
Pastry bag or plastic zip-lock bag
Candies, sprinkles (optional)
Black licorice

Instructions

- 1
  
  Bake a round, 9-inch cake at home or purchase a pre-baked variety to save time; the flavor and color of the cake do not matter as you'll be frosting the pieces later. Allow sufficient cooling time for a home-baked cake.
- 2
  
  Cut the cake in half to create two semicircles. Cut a 1 1/2 inch triangular notch from both cut sides, 2 1/2 inches up from the bottom edge of the cake. This trimming process will create the butterfly wing shape. Discard the cake bits you cut away.
- 3
  
  Arrange the semicircles around an unwrapped Twinkie snack cake. The rounded sides should be touching the Twinkie, while the cut sides should be facing outward.
- 4
  
  Ice the cake using either a homemade or store bought variety of white frosting. Use drops of food coloring to create the hues you wish to include in your butterfly design. Outline the wings with a thin ribbon of icing if you wish; spoon the icing color of your choice into a pastry bag or a zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off and then squeeze the contents around the edges of the butterfly.
- 5
  
  Add candies or sprinkles to the cake as finishing embellishments. Items like gumdrops can be used to create spots on the wings, or can be placed on the Twinkie body for added definition. Use strips of black licorice to create the butterfly's antennae.