Cheeseburger Cake

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/cheeseburger-cake-recipe-1973681

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 18.25-ounce boxes chocolate cake mix
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup green decorating sugar or granulated sugar
  • 8 spearmint leaf gummy candies
  • 3 ounces orange rolled fondant (available at craft stores)
  • Cornstarch, for dusting
  • 1 16-ounce tub vanilla frosting
  • 1 16-ounce tub chocolate frosting
  • 3/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
  • 5 drops red food coloring
  • 2 tablespoons crispy rice cereal

Directions

  • 1.

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl and two 8-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray. Beat the cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil in a large bowl with a mixer.

  • 2.

    Divide the batter among the bowl and pans; bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes for the pans and about 45 minutes for the bowl. Cool in the pans 15 minutes, then unmold onto racks.

  • 3.

    Make the lettuce: Sprinkle some green or white sugar on a cutting board. Roll out the spearmint candies to 1/8 inch thick with a rolling pin, sprinkling with more sugar to keep the candies from sticking.

  • 4.

    Cut each flattened gummy piece into 3 strips. Fold each strip accordion-style to make ruffles; pinch the ends together.

  • 5.

    Make the cheese: Roll out the orange fondant on a cornstarch-dusted surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Trim the fondant into a 7-inch square; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

  • 6.

    Trim the top of 1 round cake and the flat side of the bowl cake to make them level; crumble the trimmings. Mix the vanilla frosting, 4 tablespoons chocolate frosting and the yellow and red food coloring in a bowl to make a light brown frosting.

  • 7.

    Make the bottom bun: Put the trimmed round cake on a serving plate or cake board. Frost with some of the light brown frosting. Arrange the gummy-candy ruffles around the edge of the cake.

  • 8.

    Make the patty: Spread the remaining chocolate frosting over the top and sides of the untrimmed round cake. Press the crumbled cake trimmings into the frosting.

  • 9.

    Assemble the burger: Put the chocolate patty on the bottom bun, then drape the orange fondant on top. Frost the bowl-shaped cake with the remaining light brown frosting; place on the patty. Press the rice cereal into the frosting.

  • 10.

    Photograph by Antonis Achilleos