Manatee Cake - Easy to Medium

1. Bake a box cake mix in the Wilton Football pan.   

2. Bake another cake using regular pans (8” or 9”), so you get 1 each round layer and square layer.  

 3. Frost the “football” with gray-tinted Buttercream icing using Wilton #16 star tip.   

4. Cut front flippers from the round layer, position and frost with stars. 

4.   Level the square layer.   Cut the square layer in half, then cut the half in half again, so you have 2 quarters.  Make a 2-layer cake from these quarters, with buttercream in between the lawyer.  Frost with stars.  This is the manatee's head.  Note – these direction have the head flat on your cake board. This is easy.  To make the head stand up as pictured, tape a bit of bent coat hanger wire to a piece of cardboard, put the head on this and brace under the body.  Do this before you frost!  This changes the difficulty rating to medium, as you have to manage the structural aspects. 

5. Cut a piece of cardboard for the tail.  Roll gray-tinted fondant very thin,  cover the tail. 

6. Make eyes & mouth from fondant.   

7. If desired for a birthday party, cover a “sugar” ice cream cone with fondant tinted as you like, decorate with dots or stars, etc. to make a party hat.  Position on the manatee's head, as show.