To make the dragon, I baked four 9in. circles.  I cut in half one circle, frosted it, and placed them side by side w/ the cut side down.  I cut another circle in half, laid them on top of each other, and then cut about 1-1 1/2in. off the long side to make a smaller semi-circle.  I frosted these then put them on either side of the of the larger semi-circles to form the body of the dragon.  For the arms, legs, head, and tail of the dragon, I cut the rest of the circles in various shapes.  Since it is too hard to describe in words, I’ve created a template to help visually.

1 – inner body (frost and place side by side)

2 – outer body (frost and place on the outer sides of the inner body)

3 – lower neck

4/4a – arms

5/6 – hind legs

7 – top tail (goes behind the inner body & on top of 9)

8 – head & upper neck

9 – main tail behind body

10 – second tail (connects to the main tail to form a curled tail)

After assembling, I frosted the chocolate cakes w/ green tinted whipped cream frosting.  For the yellow spikes, I used yellow starburst which I shaped using powdered sugar on my fingers, so it wouldn’t stick.  I later realized that the starburst does not hold it’s shape well after being manipulated.  If you decide to use starburst, keep them cold and put them on the cake right before the celebrant blows out the candles.  I put them on before the party started and had to keep “fixing” the bending spikes throughout the party.  It was so frustrating!  I think fondant might be a better choice next time.  Starburst is just to pliable and soft.  Another alternative would be piping colored chocolate to form the spikes.  That might have been better, actually.

For the wings, I initially tried to make a skeleton using rice krispies.  Boy, was I wrong again.  The skeleton wing was just too floppy.  Last minute I used melted chocolate to pipe a wing template I made.  I was so worried about the chocolate breaking apart that I made it really thick.  I probably piped the template 4-5x just to be sure.  You can see from the pix how thick the chocolate wings looked like.

For the wing membrane, I got these Hi-Chews from Cost Plus.  They are the European version of the Starburst.  The flavor was green apple and it had a light green tint.  I added a bit more green coloring the chews so it would show up better in the pix.  I microwaved the chews until they were soft and pliable.  Be careful!  Overheating the chews will melt them completely and they will be extremely HOT to the touch!  I put powdered sugar on a plate and laid the chews on top to prevent it from sticking to the plate.  Also, the powdered sugar helps keep the chews from sticking to your hands and rolling pin.  I rolled out the chews and cut it into the shape of the wings.  I probably used 2-3 packets of the chews for both wings.

I then adhered the membrane to the wings using more chocolate.  The problem w/ the wings being so thick was that it was hard to support upright!  This gave me a lot of problems trying to keep the wings upright during the party.  I’m not sure what to use next time….maybe chocolate again, but only 2-3x piping so the skeleton is thinner?

I piped more chocolate for the toenails, eyes, and nose.

Here is the dragon w/ the spikes only and no wings.  My son told me it looked like more like a lizard.

And here is the lizard w/ wings, in an attempt to make it look like a dragon.

The last time I made the ice cream cone cake, I used the cake as the cone and real ice cream for the ice cream.  This time, I wanted to make the cone pointed, like a waffle cone, so a cake cone was out of the question.  I decided to use rice krispies instead.

To hold up the cone and cakes, I used a dowel screwed into a wooden base board.  This really helps when cake transportation is required and going 5miles an hour to get to the location is not an option.  :)

I started by making the rice krispies treats.  What I had learned from previous rice krispies experiments is that you need to cook them right if you want them to harden and not fall apart on you.  To do this, cook the butter and marshmallows longer than you normally would.  I think I cooked them for at least 10min. in low heat.  I constantly stirred it as it bubbled so it would not burn.  Then add as much rice krispies as you can…just enough to so that they are sticky but not marshmallowy.  I also found spraying the sides of the pot with cooking spray helps with clean-up as it’s not as messy.

Starting at the base of the dowel, press the rice krispies all the way around.  Be sure to pack it in real tight since this will be carrying the weight of the cakes.  Start with a small amount at the bottom and work your way up, gradually increasing the amount and size (so it resembles a waffle ice cream cone).  It gets harder to pack as you go up in height, so as your packing it down, use one hand the grasp the base of the cone to retain its smaller shape.  I usually do this at night so the rice krispies can harden overnight.

To get that smooth, brown look of a cone, I softened a whole package of caramels and rolled it out to ~1/8-1/4″ thickness.  You can use fondant, but I decided to skip the making and dyeing of it.  Wrap the rolled out caramel around the cone at an angle and then trim off the excess using a knife.

For the scoops of ice cream, I made a chocolate cake baked in 1/2 of a ball pan and a vanilla bean cake baked in the other 1/2 of the ball pan.  Trim the flat side for easier stacking and trim the edges to shape it more like an ice cream scoop.

For the frosting, I wanted to keep it light since it was a summer cake.  Also, I wanted it to have that ice creamy texture, so I decided to use whipped cream.  I purposefully over-whipped the cream slightly to give it that rougher look.  I tinted 1/2 the frosting pink and kept the other 1/2 white.

Insert the cake domes through the dowels so it rests on top of the cone.  Frost the cakes as usual, but add a bit more frosting at the base of the cakes and gently pat the frosting w/ the icing knife.  This will give it that “ice cream scooped” look.

I topped off the scoops of ice cream with some licorice pastels I bought from Cost Plus.

And here is my son trying to take the first lick!

To make the tacos, I baked two 9″ circle chocolate cakes.  I stacked the cakes, frosting in between, and then cut the stacked cakes in half.  I laid the flat side of the cut cakes on a plate so the curved, side of the cake was facing up.

For the various fixin’s I made the following:

- ground beef:  crushed chocolate teddy grahams mixed with chocolate frosting

- shredded lettuce:  rolled green fruit slice, cut in to thin strips

- cheddar cheese:  rolled orange starburst, cut into thin strips

- tomatoes:  chopped up red fruit slices

- sour cream:  whipped cream

- corn tortilla:  whipped cream tinted yellow, brown, and orange

For assembly, I put the ground beef from the bottom of the cake to 1/3 of the way up.  I spread the sour cream on the rest of the curved portion of the cake, sprinkled the shredded lettuce followed by the shredded cheese, and then topped it with the tomatoes.

I then frosted the sides of the cake carefully with the tinted frosting, piping the edges to give it a more defined and cleaner look.

Here they are ready for sampling.

I used a 9×13 pan to create the larger flip flops and an 8×8 pan to make the smaller flip flops.  To decorate, I used colored red vines (fruity vines) as the straps, using toothpicks to hold them in place.

To make the flowers on the straps, I cut mini-marshmallows from one corner to another and then dipped the sticky side in colored sugar (bright green and pink).  I piped melted white chocolate in a circle on top of waxed paper and then placed the sugared marshmallows all around to make the flower.  I started on the outside of the circle and then worked my way in until I got to the middle.  When the white chocolate hardens, it will make it easier to handle the marshmallow flower.  Just place the flowers on top of the straps where they connect at the top of the flip flop.

I crushed graham crackers to make the sand.

For my co-worker’s BBQ, I decided to make a hamburger cake.  He’s known for his great burgers and fries and so I thought I’d pay his skills a tribute.

The bun is a vanilla bean cake which I baked in a 9″ circle pan.  After the cake cooled, I brushed water on top and sprinkled sesame seeds on it (this will help it stick to the cake).

For the patty, I baked a 9″ chocolate cake and trimmed it to resemble a patty.  The lettuce was made w/ bran flakes mixed with melted marshmallows tinted green.  The tomatoes were from rolled out red fruit slices.  I had to use powdered sugar when rolling out the tomatoes so the fruit slice wouldn’t stick to the rolling pin and the matt.

For the cheese, I microwaved couple of fruit chews (I think it was banana flavored that I got from Cost Plus).  Be careful!  Don’t microwave for too long because these things get HOT!  I think I microwaved them at 10-20sec. intervals, checking for softness each time.  I coated them and the plate with powdered sugar first so that it wouldn’t stick.  When soft, roll it out and cut them into squares, again using powdered sugar for the rolling pin and matt.  The banana flavored fruit chews, once rolled out, looked like swiss cheese.  Next time I’ll use orange starburst so it looks more like cheddar cheese.

I tinted frosting red and yellow to make the ketchup and mustard.

For the french fries, I baked a pound cake and cut it into strips.  I didn’t have time, but if I did, I would have toasted the pound cake strips to make them more golden.

I found some red and white checkered parchment paper at Cost Plus and placed it on a foil tray for the burger and fries.  Here’s Le Burger Royal with cheese.