Do-it-Yourself Dad Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box duncan hines classic decadent cake mix white yellow
• 12 oz fluffy frosting white
• 8 drops purple gel food coloring blue
• 1 serving chocolate-covered peanuts with wrapping paper and plastic food wrap or foil
• 2 teaspoons sprinkles blue
• 2 teaspoons sprinkles 
• 15  m&m candies mini
• 0.3  strawberry jam (from 5-oz box)
• 1 small chocolate bar ()
• 0.5  pretzels 
• 12 oz chocolate frosting 
• 1  candy melts 
• 1 piece licorice rounds black (4 inches)
• 1  peanut butter sandwich cookie crumbs miniature

Equipment

• bowl
• oven
• wire rack
• toothpicks
• ziploc bags
• microwave

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl (8 inches across top) with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray).
2. Make cake batter as directed on box.
3. Pour batter into 1 1/2-quart bowl.
4. Bake 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.
5. Remove cake from bowl; place rounded side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. If necessary, cut off rounded top of cake.
6. Divide white frosting between 2 small bowls.
7. Add blue food color to 1 bowl to make desired blue color for jeans.
8. Place cake on tray cut side down; spread white frosting over half of cake (for Dad's t-shirt) and blue frosting over other half (for Dad's jeans), leaving a small area in between unfrosted (for Dad's back peeking out).
9. Carefully place individual blue and brown candy sprinkles along back of jeans for belt line and seams.
10. Place mini candy-coated chocolate candies on jeans to outline pocket. Carefully fold fruit snack to look like handkerchief, and press into frosting as if it were coming out of pocket.
11. Microwave chewy chocolate candy on High 3 to 5 seconds, just until moldable. Firmly press broken end of pretzel rod into side of chewy candy to make hammer.
12. Place on cake.
13. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag.
14. Cut tiny tip from 1 corner of bag, and pipe lines on sugar wafer to look like ruler; place on cake.
15. Wrap string licorice around center of peanut butter sandwich cookie, leaving 1 end sticking out to look like tape measure; place on cake. Store loosely covered.