Got a Texan in Your Life?

If so, make ’em one of these!

If you know any Texans, you know that they are in love (obsessed?) with their state. I mean, I think the world of my beautiful home state of Tennessee, but apparently (according to what I’ve heard from Texans) God lives and manufactures goodness in Texas. So—to pay homage to this supposed greatness—I’d originally hoped to make a Texas-shaped cake for my roommate Nancy’s birthday. But there was no way to get a Texas-shaped cake pan in time for the party, so I decided to improvise with the round cake pan I actually had.

This one’s kind of a no-brainer, but I was pretty proud of it because it turned out just as I’d hoped it would. Nothing here is homemade: The cake is a white cake mix, and the icing was supplied by my reliable boyfriend, Duncan Hines. But I’m proud to say that I managed to make this thing without ever having taken a cake decorating class in my life.

Start out with two layers of cake that have cooled completely. Use white icing between the layers and on the outside (I used 1.5 containers of store-bought icing in toto).

Dye some of that icing blue, and some of it red, but remember to leave some white. With a big piping bag and a flower-shaped Wilton tip (I think mine was #108 or #109), pipe the left half of the cake with blue.

I also piped a few little flowers on the NSEW sides of the cake, just because I had extra icing to use. Next, pipe the lower right corner with red; the top right with white; and a big, important, Texan lone star (“emblem of freedom!”) on the left with the remaining white.

Holler, it’s like the flag of Texas! Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can. The best part, though, was the inside.

SURPRISE! I dyed the layers red and quasi-blue, just to up the Texas ante. It was almost as good as a dinner of Texas-shaped waffles and chips.

Anyway, it’s an easy way to show a Texan you truly care. I think Nan had a good enough time.

What about you all? Have you got any creative ideas for how to spruce up a cake mix?

xoxo,

Joce

*Disclaimer: do not attempt if you (or anyone else coming to partake-of-cake) is allergic to dye. This cake includes about ten lbs. of Red-40.