Turtle Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Special equipment: toothpicks, 1 1.5-quart oven-proof bowl like Pyrex, cupcake tin, pizza cutter.

Butter and flour the 1.5-quart bowl and 5 individual cupcake tins (or use 5 silicone cupcake liners placed on a sheet pan instead of the cupcake tins).

Prepare cake batter according to recipe directions. Use oven temperature noted on box directions. Fill the prepared bowl 2/3 of the way full then distribute the remaining batter between the 5 cupcake tins, adding a bit more batter to one tin (this will be the head).

Bake the bowl for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the top may over-brown before the center cooks. Don’t worry; you can carve this off). Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool pans on wire racks. Once the cakes are completely cooled, run a knife around the edges of the pans and flip the cakes out. If either the cake or cupcakes have round, domed tops, carve them off so they have a flat surface to sit on.

While the cakes cool, make the buttercream frosting: In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, a little at a time, mixing on low speed. Mix until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another minute. Add vanilla, almond extract, cream, and several drops of green food dye and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more. Add more cream or powdered sugar if necessary to reach desired frosting consistency, and add more green if you would like a more vibrant color.

Place the shell cake on whatever surface you plan to serve it on. Frost the round shell cake with the buttercream, smoothing out the frosting evenly.

Roll out the fondant as thinly as possible. Use the pizza cutter to cut out large rectangles, then round the corners. Place the rectangles around the shell, making sure they adhere to the frosting (see photo).

Use two toothpicks to attach the head cupcake to the front of the body. Then use two toothpicks per cupcake to attach the feet. Place them evenly around the radius of the shell cake (see photo). Frost the head and feet as cleanly as possible, using a small knife like a butter knife. If you like, use a slightly damp paper towel to clean up where you got frosting on the fondant.

Use remaining fondant to cut out toes for the feet. Use a knife or the pizza cutter to cut. They should be shaped like ovals with flat bottoms.

Attach two candy eyes to the front of the head cupcake, or use white and black food gel to draw eyes on. Use the red food gel to draw on a mouth.

Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

*Fondant alternatives:
– Use blue sprinkles on the shell portion to contrast the green.
– Frost the feet and head green, then frost the shell with chocolate frosting.
– Use food gel to draw on the shell tiles.