How to Make a 'Star Wars' Cake

If your child is crazy for "Star Wars," turn his birthday party into an intergalactic celebration. Go beyond sticking action figures on the top of a chocolate cake. Once frosted and decorated, the cakes will become one-of-a-kind wonders.

Things You'll Need

• Frosting
• Food coloring
• Cake decorating tips and tubes
• Candy for decorating (optional)
• Cake display tray
• R2-D2 Cake: 2 (9- x 13-inch) cakes; 1 (8-inch) round cake
• Yoda Cake: 2 (8-inch) round cakes

Instructions

R2-D2 Cake

1. Lay one of the 9- x 13-inch cakes in the center of the cake platter to form the android's barrel-shaped body.

2. Cut the other 9- x 13-inch cake in half to make two long, thin rectangles, about 4 1/2 x 13 inches. These will be R2's mechanical arms/legs. Place the pieces on either side of the body, slightly lower than the top.

3. Cut the round cake in half, and place one half circle on top of R2-D2's body to form his dome-shaped "head." The other half should be cut in half again to form his "feet." Place these at the bottom of the arm/leg features.

4. Cover the entire cake with white frosting. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so the frosting becomes hard and stiff.

5. Pipe on the details of R2-D2's body, covering the layer of frosting. The droid is mostly white, with blue and gray details (see Resources).

6. Add candies as needed for the various buttons, lights and sensors on the android's body, and don't forget the recognizable red "eye" in the center of his domed head. Colored candies, licorice and mints all make good additions to an R2-D2 cake.

Yoda Cake

1. Place one of the circle cakes in the center of the cake display tray. Trim the circle slightly on the top and bottom so it resembles a fat football.

2. Cut out Yoda's two ears from the other round cake. His ears are long and triangular and curve slightly up (see Resources); roughly 7 inches long and about 4 inches wide at the ear's base will look good. Place the ears next to the "head."

3. Frost the entire cake with white frosting and place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

4. Use colored frosting and the cake decorating tubes to cover the cake completely. Yoda is green with white and brown features (see Resources).

5. Put candies and other embellishments in place to enhance the Yoda cake. For example, a light sprinkle of white coconut flakes would resemble the Jedi Master's thin hair on top of his head.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the idea of cut up cakes to create even more Star Wars characters, such as Jar-Jar Binks, C3PO, the Death Star or the Millennium Falcon.

Resources

• Cutie Gadget: R2D2 Projector and Media Player
• Yoda's Photo Page