Tool Box Cake

OK, so I'm no Ace of Cakes but I can do a decent job of constructing something fun.

It's my brother Jarod's 33rd birthday. And since what he wants we can't buy for him (some special tool that linemen use)he is getting money. So we wanted to package it in a fun way. So it's in the cake. Sure hope he doesn't cut it in half!

Tool Box Cake

So, here's what you need:
1 box cake mix (whatever kind you want)
1 can white frosting (I used cream cheese... Yum!)
1 Wilton's (or other brand) concentrated food coloring gel paste
* You must use a concentrated gel paste to get a red color. I used an entire bottle of food coloring drops and had a lovely (and very manly) dark salmon color.

1 chocolate donut (regular size) for the handle

*Yes, you will have to buy an entire box of donuts. It's a hardship, I know.

3 toothpicks

Plastic tools (or fishing lures or whatever else you might put in a box like this)

Begin by baking the cake in two large (I think they are 7-8 inches long) loaf pans. Fill one with about 2/3 of the cake mix and the other with 1/3. Bake according to directions. Let cool in pan 10-15 minutes before removing.

After removing from pan let cool completely and refrigerate while you mix the frosting color.

Remove the "bottom" of your cake from the refrigerator (it's the bigger one). Because the tools were pretty big I cut out a bit from the center of the cake for the handles. This is also where I hid the money (in a plastic baggie). Now apply a thin layer of frosting to the cake. This is your crumb layer. It doesn't have to be pretty or even. Just a thin layer all over.

Put the bottom back in the refirgerator and remove the top. To give the top more sloped edges I cut the four corners off at an angle and also shaved the squared edges off between the corners. Do a crumb layer of frosting on this piece, too, and refrigerate.

Now take out the bottom again and frost it like you normally would. Place the tools that will be "in" the box where you want them. Use your toothpicks at the rear of the cake to hold the lid in place, just put them in upright and gently set the lid on top the the toothpicks and tools.

Carefully frost the cake - be sure to apply liberally to the back to mask the seam- and arrange any other tools to mask any imperfections you may have. Cut a donut in half and put on top.

Serve and let people ooh and aah over your creation.