How to Make a Baby Einstein Caterpillar Cake

Many babies watch the famous Baby Einstein movies before they can walk and talk. Many parents then choose to celebrate their child's first birthday party with the Baby Einstein theme. While there are many decorations to choose from, there aren't any cake pans to create the iconic caterpillar. There is, however, an easy way to make the caterpillar using a 3-D circular sports ball cake pan.

Things You'll Need

• Cake mix
• 3-D sports ball cake pan
• Cupcake papers
• Cupcake pan
• Wooden dowels
• 4-by-2 foot cardboard
• Tin foil
• White frosting
• Food coloring
• Five small bowls
• Tubed black gel
• Two red pipe cleaners

Instructions

Bake the Cake

1. Make your cake batter by following your recipe or use a boxed cake mix and follow the instructions on the back.

2. Grease the two halves of your sports ball cake pan, and fill half of each pan with batter.

3. Place the cake pans on a cookie sheet and bake the cakes at 350 degrees F for as long as the cake pan directions say to bake.

4. Check your cakes with a toothpick to ensure the center is cooked. Insert a butter knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them from the pan. Place the flat side down on a plate and set aside.

5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 an additional four times to give you a total of five full circles. You should end up with 10 halves.

6. Place three cupcake wrappers inside the cupcake tin and make three cupcakes for the caterpillar's feet.

Assemble the Circles

1. Cover a 4-by-2 foot piece of cardboard with tinfoil.

2. Take a wooden dowel and insert it halfway into the flat side of a cake.

3. Insert the other half of the ball onto the dowel that is sticking out. Carefully push the two halves together to form a circle.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you have five circles. Place the circles temporarily onto your cardboard.

Color your Caterpillar

1. Mix your own frosting or purchase white frosting and divide it into five bowls.

2. Add food coloring into each of the five bowls and mix well. Make one bowl yellow, one red, one blue, one purple and one turquoise or green.

3. Slice off a thin slice of cake to create a flat bottom so that the balls don't roll.

4. Frost each ball a different color and place them flat side down onto your cardboard.

5. Push the balls up against one another to form the body in the following order: blue, purple, red and turquoise. Save the yellow ball for the head.

6. Cut your cupcakes in half and frost them yellow for the feet. Place them flat side down on the cardboard where the balls meet.

7. Place a wooden dowel into the blue ball and attach the yellow ball on top for the head.

Finishing Touches

1. Draw two oval eyes and fill in the ovals with your black tube gel.

2. Make a large half circle for the mouth with your black tube gel.

3. Use a toothpick and dab two drops of white icing from your bowl in the centers of the black eyes.

4. Curl your pipe cleaners to make two antennas for your caterpillar and stick them into the top of his head.

Tips & Warnings

• Use different flavored cake mixes for different balls of the caterpillar so that your guests have a choice between chocolate, vanilla or carrot cake.

• Purchase two 3-D sports ball cake pans to spend less time baking.