Barbecue Cake

Jeffrey said he wanted a barbecue for his birthday.  So I decided to go all out.

Not only did he get a T-bone steak, corn on the cob and grilled pineapple, he got a barbecue cake.

It was very simple to make.  The hardest part was finding a rack small enough to go on top of the cake.  Next time I think I will just make my own out of wire.

I made two cake mixes.  Once they were cooled down a little, I popped them in the freezer.  A frozen cake is always easier to frost.  Once they were good and frozen, I pulled them out.  I plopped one cake on a tray (I just used a large piece of cardboard with tin foil over it) upside down, and frosted the top.  I then plopped the other cake, right side up (so the two bottoms were touching), measured where I wanted my "pit" and then cut it out, cutting down to the top of the first layer.  I set the cut out part aside.  I then proceeded to frost the top layer and the sides.  I then crumbled up part of the saved cake, and spread it in the bottom of the hole.  I placed marshmallows on top to act as the coals.  I got a pastry brush and wet them.  I the sprinkled black, red and orange sprinkles on top of the marshmallows.  The water made them sticky so the sprinkles would stick.  I also had some white crystal sprinkles that I spread all over in the "pit" so as to look like ash.  I placed the cooling rack over that.  I then got some water, and added red food coloring to it.  I again used a pastry brush, and brushed the red all over some rice cakes so as to look like raw hamburger patties.  Place them on the rack, and you have yourself a barbecue.