Father’s Day Necktie Cakes and Decorating

Okay, maybe Dad really doesn’t need any more ties but let’s give him one more anyway – a cake necktie! They’re easy to make and look so cute Dad will be sure to smile. And you can decorate the tie with something that means a lot to Dad, like a classic car or a golf ball.

Rather than spend money on an expensive cake pan shaped like a tie, make a cake pan and cut it in pieces that will then be put together to form the desired shape. You’ll need 1 batch of butter cream icing and a 9″x13″ sheet pan. Glass cake pans are not recommended. You’ll also need a spice cake box mix. For decorating the cake, buy white writing gel, as well as red and blue gel food coloring. (Or colors of your choice)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour the pan and set aside. Mix the spice cake according to the box directions and pour it into the pan. Bake for the specified amount of time. Remove and let cool. As the cake is still warm, wash hands and use a clean towel to flatten the dome that often appears on the cake when it’s done.

While the cake is cooling prepare the board on which you’ll serve the cake. A piece of cardboard, covered in foil or wax paper will do the trick. The board should be 20″ long and 12″ wide. When the cake is cool, you’ll make the cuts that will be put together to form the tie. See the pattern.

Arrange the pieces on the board. You’ll use the icing to keep the cake pieces together. After “gluing” all the pieces together, frost the entire cake. You can stop there and simply write “Dad” on the cake with writing frosting or decorate further.

Use the writing icing to draw stripes on the tie, or another image. You can find all sorts of images online. Print one out, cut the shape from wax paper, lay the shape on the cake, then draw around it with a toothpick. Now color it in with the writing icing. Think of something Dad really likes. It can be a fish jumping out of water, the silhouette of a boat, an airplane, or his dog. Personalize the cake, though, with something Dad will recognize as special to him.

To make a colorful tie, spray the entire cake with spray-on food coloring. It’s found in the grocery store along with cake decorating supplies. Cover places that you don’t want to color, such as the collar, with paper towels.

The tie can be decorated any way you see fit. If you go to a store that has a large cake decorating aisle, you’ll find things like gold or silver edible b-b’s, lettering, and other edible shapes or designs.

Father’s Day is a special time, and you can let Dad know just how much he means to you when he sees the effort you put out to give him what may be his favorite tie ever.