Cute Golden Doodle Dog Cake

Ingredients

• 2 boxes cake mix yellow
• 1 serving chocolate-covered peanuts with wrapping paper and plastic food wrap or foil
• 16 oz fluffy frosting white
• 1 serving purple gel food coloring 
• 1 serving purple gel food coloring yellow
• 3 large m&m candies 
• 1 stick licorice rounds 
• 1  strawberry jam (from 5-oz box)
• 1 serving betty writing gel white

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottoms only of two 13x9-inch pans with baking spray with flour. Make and bake cake mixes as directed on boxes for 13x9-inch pans. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. Place cooled cakes on work surface.
3. Place templates over cakes as shown. (See link below for diagram and templates.)
4. Cut cake around templates. (Discard cake pieces cut from around templates, or save for another use.) Arrange cake pieces on tray as shown. Freeze 1 hour for easier frosting.
5. Tint 1 tub frosting light brown, using brown and yellow gels.
6. Spread frosting over entire cake to seal in crumbs, using extra frosting to attach nose, ears and legs on cake.
7. Tint 1/2 tub frosting dark brown, using brown and yellow gels. Using decorating bag fitted with grass tip, pipe ears. Tint remaining frosting in tub light brown, using brown and yellow gels. Frost head, using grass tip. Create definition near eyebrows by applying additional frosting with grass tip.
8. Pipe remainder of dog body, using remaining light brown frosting and grass tip.
9. Place chocolate-covered candies on face for eyes and nose.
10. Cut licorice in 8 thin strips, and place on feet to define paws.
11. Cut fruit snack for collar and tag, and place at neck. Pipe writing gel to make dog's initial on tag. Store loosely covered at room temperature.