Minecraft Cake

The popular video game Minecraft came to life for my sons birthday with this easy 3-D cake.
Skill level EASY!!!
Step by step pictures.





My little boy is completely obsessed with this game and when his birthday was coming up, he had to have a minecraft cake.
He had requested one earlier in the year when we were discussing his birthday wish list.

Like any good mom I got on the phone and started calling the grocery stores that made cakes.
NOPE, WE DON'T MAKE THAT ONE!
This was the response I got from each and every one I called.
I even called some in another state close to me, being the good mother I am....HAHA, well.
No luck anywhere.
We had a family member who made professional cakes but she had never made one and said she would give it a try after looking up some pics online.

Well this is where I went from a good mom to A FANTASTIC MOM!!!

I thought to myself, am I really going to let someone else make a cake from looking online when I knew I could do the same thing.

Well, I will admit I was intimidated at first myself.
Some of these cakes had different levels and you had to take measurements and then cut.


Now Those are the EXTRAORDINARY MOMS...I'm just fantastic...LOL, so I decided to make the grass block cake, so popular in this game.
But, even some of those measured to get perfect blocks...NOT ME!!

It turned out fine I think, well I know!
MY SON LOVED IT!



FIRST STEP: BAKING
If you used store bought cake mix, then each box will make (2) 8x 9 inch
SO, YOU WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF 4 CAKES WHEN DONE.

I used disposable pans for my cakes, and you could use a 8x8 but you will end up doing some trimming so I suggest the 8x9.


STEP 2: FREEZING AND TRIMMING
After you have baked all 4 pans, let them cool and then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place in freezer.THIS IS IMPORTANT, they need to be froze for easy trimming.
Also having a good knife helps.
I used a serrated bread knife and it worked well.
You will need to trim the tops of your cakes so they are flat, since most boxed cakes rise up and puff in the middle.
I didn't break out a level, I just eyeballed it.
You will also need to cut all 4 sides of the cake, just to make sure they look as close to even as possible.

Since all of the 4 layers needed to be as square as possible and look like a block when stacked.
I did just that,I and stacked them.I continued to trim sides until I had a nice looking block...Not perfect by any means.

STEP 3:
Refreeze each cake layer individually.
THIS IS IMPORTANT.They need to be frozen well enough so when you go to frost this cake your corners will not tear up.The corners are pretty important to make a block after all.




STEP 4: FROSTING

Once all of your layers have frozen nicely, you can now begin frosting.
Place one layer down on your cake board and using the chocolate, frost a thin layer just on the top of each one, EXCEPT THE LAST LAYER!!!!

Remember thin layers of icing in this step.

The last layer which will be your top WILL NOT get the chocolate icing.
Make sure to try and place these as square as possible on each other and work as fast as possible so cake does not unfreeze on you.

STEP 5 : ADDING THE DIRT SIDES....Frost the sides of cake with your chocolate frosting
I FORGOT A PIC OF THAT...lol, but its easy.Just make sure you don't frost the top in chocolate.
You will use up all the rest of your chocolate frosting in this step.




Looks like dirt to me.
I left some pieces a little larger when crushing my cookies for texture.
This can be done in a food processor by pulsing or by hand if you choose.
Note I didn't use the white filling in the oreo cookies.

You will then add the dirt to all four sides of the cake.
I just took handfuls and pressed them into the chocolate icing.Not hard put pretty messy.

STEP 6: THE GRASS!!!
I was so nervous about this part.
I colored my cream cheese frosting to the color green I wanted and then just started icing the top of the cake.

You want some of the frosting oozing down slightly no particular pattern really.
I just let it fall where it wanted.
The green goes all over the top and let it ooze somewhat on each side.

TIP! If for some reason you dont have a piping bag with tip, you could really just skip the next step of piping and add the toys to the top just like it is in the below picture.

STEP 7: The Pipping
Since I didnt have the grass tip, I used a number 27 tip.
I'm no decorator and not 100% sure, but it may be called a star tip.

You will want to go around the outside top of cake and make what looks like grass.
Now I know mine really doesn't, but trust me all finished, the kids will not notice the difference.
If you had any frosting oozing down the sides of cake, also make grass on those areas.

STEP 8: THE CAKE TOPPERS
These cost me more than the cake and frosting itself...Good grief, but they were licked clean and now being played with.
Just randomly placed on the cake and purchased at a Walgreens for 10.99
Yes these three little things cost that much.

OH THE CAKE BOARD AND STICKERS!!

The little mind craft emblem propped up on the cake in front came out of the box the toys came in.

I ordered the black and white sticker from Discount Party Supplies along with plates cups and napkins.

In the end I had something I was so proud of, and my little boy said it was THE BEST cake he ever had.I have made sponge bob, Oswald, teenage mutant ninja turtles, and a wrestling cake over the years, but honestly this has been my favorite.

I kept the table very simple with the cake taking center stage and when the kids arrived they were ecstatic.

I wouldn't have done one thing differently, except NEVER buy store ready cream cheese frosting.It taste nothing like cream cheese.

Jodies Kitchen Minecraft Cake
You will need:
(4) 8x9 pans
2 boxes chocolate cake mix.
1 container of chocolate frosting
1 container of cream cheese or vanilla frosting
Green food coloring for coloring white frosting
Oreo cookies crushed without the filling
Graham crackers crushed just a few
A grass tip or similar tip to make grass
Mine craft toys for the topper
A cake board of some kind
Sticker for cake board