Woman's Day Magazine

Fun-in-the-Pool Cake
Bake it any time of year to bring back some of that summer fun. You'll be so impressed with your handiwork, you might have a hard time slicing it!

Serves: 12

Planning Tips:
- The cake layers can be wrapped and frozen up to 1 month. The cake can be prepared through Step 4 up to 3 days ahead. Cover with a bowl and refrigerate.
- If you can't find the same candies we used, improvise with others.

Ingredients:
Two 8- or 9-in. cooled, baked cake layers, frozen at least 2 hours for easier cutting
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)
Tiles: Tiny Size Chiclets (any colors you wish)
1 box (4-serving size) berry blue gelatin

Pool furniture, diving boards and accessories (see Tip):
Lounge chairs (Candy Blox)
inner-tube floats (gummi rings)
striped raft (cream-filled red licorice bite)
low diving-board base and beach ball (fruit chews)
high diving-board base (candy stick)
diving boards and beach towels (striped stick chewing gum)
diving-board railings (gummi rings, cut in half)
Teddy Grahams cookies
Palm trees (green belt candy and Life Savers)
Blue, red and yellow food color

1. Cut a 5 1/2-in.-diameter round from middle of 1 frozen cake layer (you won't need the round). Place other cake layer on a serving plate; spread top with 1/2 cup frosting. Spoon 1/2 cup frosting into a bowl, cover and reserve.

2. Place ring of cake on top of frosted layer. Carefully frost inside and outside of ring (be sure entire inside is coated), then frost sides of both cake layers. Set tiles around pool with fingers or tweezers.

3. Remove 1 Tbsp frosting from reserved 1/2 cup frosting; set aside. Tint remaining frosting blue. Spread with a small metal spatula into waves around bottom layer of cake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to set frosting.

4. Prepare gelatin as directed on box for speed-set. When ice cubes are removed, use a 1/4-cup measure or small ladle and slowly fill the pool up to about 1/4 in. from the top. Refrigerate 2 hours or until gelatin is very firm.

5. Using the cover photograph as a guide and about 1 tsp of the remaining 1 Tbsp frosting as glue, assemble the diving boards and lounge chairs; set aside to dry. Cut towels from gum sticks; warm a fruit chew in your hand and roll it into a beach ball. For striped raft, trim red licorice bite and glue a red strip in place for pillow. Set aside.

6. Bears: Divide remaining frosting among 3 cups and tint blue, red and yellow. Using a toothpick or small paintbrush, paint bathing suits and features on Teddy Grahams. Set aside to dry.

7. Palm trees: For each tree, cut green belt candy into a 2-in.-long strip. For fronds, make five 1-in.-long cuts at one end. Roll up strip; set uncut end into a green Life Saver.

8. Up to 1 hour before serving: Set diving boards, furniture, accessories and bears in place; refrigerate.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Makes: 3 cups

Planning Tip:
Can be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature and beat before using.

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 jar (7 or 7 1/2 oz) marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff or Creme)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter in a medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow cream. When well blended, beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy.