Jack-In-The-Box Cake

by Sue Schwentke
(Plainville, CT, USA)

I made this Jack-In-The Box cake for my son Jacob’s 3rd birthday. Ever since he saw a jack-in-the-box at the toy store around the holidays he has been very excited by them.

The box is made from 5 stacked 8”x 8” cakes (made from cake mixes) which I trimmed with an electric carving knife to make the sides smooth and even. I frosted between the layers and around the entire box with yellow frosting.

To support the weight of the clown, I inserted a wooden cake dowel down the center of the cake, upon which I placed four donuts, which I frosted and decorated with white chocolate chips and red icing polka dots.

The head was made from a round rice crispy treat ball which I frosted and decorated with icing. The hat is made from chocolate modeling clay, which I made with a combination of melted chocolate and corn syrup, shaped into the jester’s hat and dusted with edible gold powder.

The star shaped scepter is also made from the modeling chocolate. The arms and neck are fashioned out of tinted, ready-to-use fondant.

This cake was a lot of fun to make, but be prepared to take several hours, approximately 5 or 6, to get it done.