cowboy boot birthday cake

If you’re planning a roundup of your favorite cowboy buckaroos, this cake from Parents.com is the perfect cake for you… plus it is a cool addition to our wild west cowboy birthday party theme.

Here’s all you’ll need:

• 1  box (18.25 ounces) yellow or devil’s food cake mix
• 1  can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
• 1  can (16 ounces) caramel frosting
• Red food coloring
• Boot cake template (will have to sign up on Parents.com)
• Boot piping template (will have to sign up on Parents.com)

And here are the simple steps:

1. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Using the pound-cake variation on the side of the box (add instant pudding and 1 extra egg), prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Bake and let cake cool completely.
2. To make the boot, print out the boot template. Place it on top of cake, angling so that the template fits. Using a food-coloring marker, draw the outline of the boot pieces on the cake, and cut out pieces with knife. {Love the tip about the food coloring marker!}
3. Spoon 1/2 cup vanilla frosting into a freezer-weight resealable plastic bag, and snip off a small corner. Tint remaining vanilla frosting red. On a serving platter, attach cake pieces together with red frosting to make shape of boot. Cover entire boot with a thin crumb coat of red frosting. Once dry, apply a thicker coat and freeze the cake for one hour.
4. Next, frost the heel, toe, sole, and top of the boot with caramel frosting. Place 1/4 cup caramel frosting in freezer-weight resealable plastic bag, and snip off small corner. Pipe a line down the center of the boot.
5. Print out the piping template. Cut it out and place it on the boot, tracing the outline with a toothpick. Flip the template and repeat on other side of boot to create mirror image. Pipe white frosting over scored outline for stitching. Pipe white lines around edges of caramel top and toe of boot.