Make the party positively historic with this delicious critter cake. The dense chocolate layers are perfect for building this dinosaur. Complete the scene with graham cracker crumbs, chocolate cookie crumbs and candy rocks for the ground.

Ingredients:

2 cups (500 mL) boiling water
1 cup (250 mL) cocoa powder
1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
2 cups (500 mL) granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla
2-3/4 cups (675 mL) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 (7 mL) tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking powder and salt
30 gumdrop leaves
Assorted candies

Icing:

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) butter, softened
5-3/4 cups (1.425 L) icing sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream  (35%)

Yellow and green food colouring

Directions:

Whisk water with cocoa powder until smooth; let cool to room temperature.

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar just until blended; beat in eggs, 2 at a time. Beat in vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of cocoa. Scrape into 2 greased and parchment paper– lined 9-inch (1.5 L) round cake pans.

Bake in 350.F (180.C) oven until cakes spring back when lightly touched, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans on racks for 20 minutes. Invert onto baking sheet; remove pans and paper. Invert onto racks.

Icing: In bowl, beat butter until light. Beat in icing sugar alternately with cream, making 3 additions of sugar and 2 of cream. Transfer 1/2 cup of the icing to small bowl; tint yellow. Tint remaining icing green.

With serrated knife, cut 1 of the cakes as shown (1). With knife parallel to work surface, cut horizontally through both A pieces to form 4 legs.

Cut remaining cake as shown (2). Turn 1 of the C pieces over; spread thinly with green icing. Top with remaining C piece. Stand, cut side down, on large cake board or inverted foil-covered baking sheet to form body; cut off corner of 1 side diagonally to form chest.

Arrange pieces D1, D2 and D3 as shown to form tail (3); attach with icing. Trim to shape of tail, discarding scraps. Attach tail to body with icing.

Cover belly and chest with yellow icing. Cover tail and remaining body with green icing.

Attach head piece B to body with four 6-inch (15 cm) skewers, inserting 2 through lower neck and 2 through head (4).

Spread icing over head. Spread edge of each leg with icing; press to side of body. Cover outside of legs with icing.

Using small offset spatula or tip of spoon, make scale pattern in icing over body. Cut gumdrop leaves horizontally in half to form 2 leaves; insert into top of head and along spine and tail. Attach assorted candies for eyes, mouth and claws as desired.