How to Decorate a Caterpillar Cake

A caterpillar cake is a fun way to celebrate a child's birthday. This cake is easy to make if you have basic cake decorating skills.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 4-6 dome shaped cakes (using ball pan or Pyrex bowl to bake)
• buttercream icing
• gel food coloring
• icing bags
• star tip
• fruit slice candies
• licorice
• small cake rounds
• large cake board

1. Place each cooled dome shaped cake on a cake round. If the cake round is larger than the cake, trim the excess off so the cake round doesn't show. The cake round is just for stability.

2. Color your buttercream icing in the desired colors. The color scheme selected can be based on the party decorations, child's favorite colors, or any other factors.

3. Crumb coat each of the domed cakes by spreading a thin layer of buttercream icing over the cake.

4. Select the first color to be used. Fill an icing bag fitted with a star tip. Cover the first section of the caterpillar with stars. There is no right or wrong way to do this part of the project. Each section can be a different color or you can mix and match.

5. Continue covering each domed cake with stars using the various colors of icing you have prepared.

6. Create a face on one section of the caterpillar. You can use icing for this step or use various candies to create the face.

7. Arrange the domed cake sections of the caterpillar cake on the large cake board.

8. Add the finishing touches. Use the fruit slice candies to make the legs. Add licorice for the antennae.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make the caterpillar cake any length depending on how many people will attend the party. Add more sections to your caterpillar cake if you will have several guests.
• Use different flavors of cake for each section so the guests have some variety.
• I learned the hard way that a full piece of licorice can get heavy when used as the antennae. They kept drooping. Another option would be to use floral wire with a small decorative bead on the end.