This kid-pleasing marshmallow-and-crisp-rice cereal confection has a sweet secret: chocolate-marshmallow icing inside. Cereal bits give it a festive trim. Candies in cupcake liners decorate each plate. Prepare the Basic Crisp-Rice Treats, then follow the molding instructions below to make the cake.
SERVINGS:
Coat two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Prepare crisp-rice mixture; before pouring into pan, reserve 2 tablespoons for patching cake, and set aside, covered. Divide remaining crisp-rice mixture among prepared cake pans. Press into pans with greased fingers to level. Let cool until set, at least 30 minutes.
Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen; unmold onto parchment paper.
While frosting is still warm, pour onto center of 1 cake layer, and spread evenly to edges. Let stand 10 minutes. Place second cake layer on top; press down gently. Using reserved pieces of crisp-rice mixture, patch edges where frosting is visible.
Decorate with cereal, arranging pieces around top,middle, and bottom edges. Let cake stand until firm enough to slice, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. After 2 hours, wrap cake in plastic wrap to prevent it from getting too hard to slice.
Place 1/4 cup buttercream in each of 3 bowls; tint buttercream in one bowl red, another yellow, and another blue. Transfer each color to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #4); set aside.
Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes level. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or a cardboard round wrapped in parchment paper. Spread with 1 1/2 cups buttercream. Top with remaining layer. Thinly coat top and sides with buttercream. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, and frost with 2 cups buttercream. Using a toothpick, make an outline of dashed arches on side of cake. Pipe red, yellow, and blue buttercream dashes over the outlines. Switch to a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #12) to make “balls” of frosting at end of each dashed line. Pipe 6 “balls” around top edge of cake. Cake can be refrigerated up to 6 hours.
Fancy buttercream flourishes topped with nonpareil gumdrops make this dainty cake look grand. Fill a five-inch cake pan with two cups of your favorite batter, then cut finished cake in half horizontally to form layers. Bake leftover batter into mini cupcakes.
