Extremely Simple Basketball Cake

by Carrie
(South Berwick, ME)

What inspired you to make the cake?

My son was turning one and he is already a big sports fan. I gave my husband the option of a pirate party or a sports party, and he chose sports. So I made a basketball cake, a baseball cake, and a smaller football cake that was just for my son that said "All Mine!" I figured these cakes would be easier since the balls are already round.

Did you use a special pan?
No, just a regular 9" round pan. But instead of making all of them two-layer cakes, I made each layer it's own cake (one baseball, one basketball), giving us more pieces for less work and time.

How did you prepare the cake?
I made two single-layer cakes. For the baseball cake, I made simple white buttercream frosting and used a red gel to create the seams and stitching. For the basketball cake, I used white buttercream and added neon orange food coloring until it reached the color of a basketball, and then used the same red gel for the lines of the basketball (I didn't have the funds for specifically black gel). I admit I did have pictures in front of me when doing the gel on these cakes to make sure I got the seams/stitching right.

Do you have a picture of it?
Yes, see uploaded picture of the basketball cake.