How I Made a Great White Shark Cake for My Six Year Old's Birthday Party

Right off the bat, let me just tell you that I am not a terrifically artistic person. I have no experience at all with the art of cake decorating, but I managed to put together a very cool cake that completely delighted my great-white-shark-obsessed son (and his Nana!) for his 6^th birthday party! Here is a list of the things I used:

One box of cake mix.

Two cans of a classic vanilla frosting.

A food coloring kit.

A tube of blue writing-icing.

A small box of Junior Mints.

A small bag of Candy Corns.

One sheet of 8x11 paper.

A pen.

A pair of scissors.

A sharp cutting knife.

A cube of soft butter.

First bake your cake using a 9x13 pan. Let it cool completely before carefully turning it over and out onto a larger surface - such as a portable cutting board or a piece of sturdy cardboard. While the cake is cooling, use your pen and paper to draw your shark template. I discovered that a profile of the shark was the simplest for me as a novice. And since my son only cared about the shark's head it was even simpler! Use as much of the paper to draw your shark as you can so you are left as much of the cake as possible for all your hungry party go-ers! Also, make sure to draw your shark with an open mouth because the teeth are an important part of this design! I also drew the shark's dorsal fin (the one on the top of it's back) to add a little realistic detail! After you have drawn a shark you are happy with use your scissors to cut out its outline.

After the cake is totally cooled - and I mean totally, or you'll end up with a big crumbly mess - lay your template over the top of it. Use your sharp knife to cut around the template. Discard the cut off parts of the cake - or save them to eat later if you like! Remove the template, and if needed, refine any edges.