Flip-flops Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 (16 ounce) containers frosting
• green and pink gel or paste food coloring
• 8 rainbow sour belt candies
• 4 red sour belts candies

Recipe

• 1 you will also need: graham cracker crumbs; shell-shaped cookies and/or chocolates; gummy fish and starfish (for decoration).
• 2 heat oven to 350ºf. you'll need a 13 x 9-in. baking pan coated with nonstick spray, bottom lined with wax paper and sprayed. you'll also need a sturdy serving surface about 20 x 16 inches.
• 3 prepare cake mix as directed for yellow pound cake, using pudding, water, eggs and oil. pour batter into pan. bake 35 to 40 minutes, until pick inserted into center comes out clean. cool 10 minutes on wire rack. remove from pan, peel off paper and cool completely.
• 4 with long serrated knife, trim top of cake horizontally to make level (if needed). cut out 2 flip-flop shapes, each about 10 1/2 x 5 inches place on serving surface.
• 5 tint 1/2 cup frosting light green. transfer to small freezer ziptop bag with small hole snipped in one corner. tint remaining frosting pink. spread tops and sides of cakes with pink frosting.
• 6 cut each rainbow sour belt lengthwise into two strips and arrange on cakes to make stripes, cutting as necessary to fit. pipe decorative border of green frosting around top edges of cakes.
• 7 for straps, cut two 6 1/2-in. pieces from red sour belts. pinch two ends together on diagonal to attach. trim remaining ends to round; place on top of one cake. repeat to make strap for remaining cake.
• 8 sprinkle serving surface with graham cracker crumbs. if desired, decorate with shell-shaped cookies and chocolates, gummy fish and starfish.
• 9 each flip-flop measures 10 1/2 x 5 inches.