Superhero Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour or until firm.
• Use serrated knife to cut cake into head, arms and body (template can be found under the Tips below). Place cake on serving plate or foil-covered tray.
• In medium bowl, mix 1 container frosting and blue food color. Divide second container of frosting among 3 separate small bowls; add pink food color to 1 bowl, yellow to 1 bowl and red to third bowl. Spread thin layer of blue frosting on body and arms to seal in crumbs. Spread thin layer of pink frosting on head. Refrigerate or freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Spread remaining pink frosting on head. With 1/2 cup of the blue frosting, create mask on face. Spread remaining blue frosting to cover body and arms. Generously spread yellow frosting on top of head for hair and at bottom of cake for belt. In center of body, spread red frosting in oval shape. Create lightning bolt with yellow frosting on red oval. Add candies on mask for eyes. Use decorating gel to pipe nose and mouth, and to outline oval, belt and belt buckle. Crumple fruit snacks; place next to body to look like cape.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide batter equally among 3 bowls. Tint 1 bowl of batter with blue food color, 1 bowl with yellow food color and 1 bowl with red food color.
• Spray 2 (8- or 9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with cooking parchment paper, if desired, to prevent sticking. Spoon 1/3 cup blue batter into center of each cake pan. Spoon 1/3 cup yellow batter into center of blue batter in each pan, followed by 1/3 cup red batter in each. Repeat with remaining batter until used up.
• Bake as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Tint 1 container frosting with blue food color to desired shade of blue. On serving plate, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down. Frost top of cake layer with part of the blue frosting. Top with second layer, rounded side up. Frost side and top of cake with remaining blue frosting.
• In small bowl, tint three-fourths of the remaining container of frosting with yellow food color. Tint remaining frosting with red food color. Place yellow frosting in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut off small corner of plastic bag, and pipe diamond-shaped emblem on top of cake. Place red frosting in another resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut off small corner of plastic bag, and pipe number or initials on cake.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place 3/4 cup of the frosting in small bowl. Tint with red gel food color to desired shade of red. Place three-fourths of the remaining frosting in small bowl, and tint with yellow food color. Tint remaining frosting with blue food color.
• Frost cupcakes with red frosting. Place yellow frosting in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut off small corner of plastic bag, and pipe a diamond-shaped emblem on top of each cupcake. Place blue frosting in another resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut off small corner of plastic bag, and pipe letter or number in center of each diamond shape.