With “Turkey Day”  just days away, it’s time to bust out the apron and get to work on the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert…the Turkey Cake! It’s a fun way to spice up your Thanksgiving table and treat your guests to the tastiest turkey yet!

Essentials (Ingredients and Utensils):

– 2 boxes of Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge cake mix

– Betty Crocker Vanilla frosting

– Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate frosting

– 5 glazed sugar cookies in a variety of feather-like colors (The orange, brown, and red glazed sugar cookies at Becker’s Bakery in downtown Manhattan Beach are perfect!)

– 2 plain sugar cookies

– 2 orange Fruit Slice candies

– 1 red Fruit Roll-up

– 2 chocolate chips

– soccer ball cake pan (available at Jo-Ann’s Fabric and Craft Store)

– cupcake pan

– 10 toothpicks

Directions:

1. Follow the directions on the cake mix box to prepare 1 batch of cupcakes. Since you only need 1 cupcake for the turkey, there will be plenty of cupcakes for snacking! Yum!

2. Follow the directions on the cake mix box to prepare a chocolate cake. Be sure to use the soccer ball cake pan in order to get the rounded shape for the base of your plump turkey.

3. Let both the cupcakes and cake cool. It’s best to let the cake cool as long as possible to prevent the frosting from melting…The cooler the cake, the easier it is to frost and the less likely the wings, feathers, and face of your turkey are to slip off the cake.

4. Once the cake has cooled completely, you’re ready to frost! Cover the cake with a layer of milk chocolate frosting. For the feathered effect, make a swoosh-like movement with your frosting knife.

5. Frost the top of the cupcake with milk chocolate frosting.

6. To attach the turkey’s head (the cupcake) to its body (the cake), put a generous dollop of frosting on the cake about an inch and a half from its center. Firmly press the bottom of the cupcake into the dollop of frosting. You may have to add additional frosting in front of the cupcake to support its weight.

7. Cut one plain sugar cookie in half. Frost each of the halves with milk chocolate frosting and press both firmly into the cake…Ta-da! Now your turkey has wings!

8. Cut each of the glazed sugar cookies in half to make the turkey’s feathers. Using a sharp knife, make 10  small cuts in the “rear” of the turkey. Each slit should be the width of a cookie half. This will help secure the turkey’s “feathers.”

9. Carefully guide each cookie half into its respective slit in the “rear” of the turkey. Drive a toothpick into the cake behind each cookie half to use as a support. The toothpicks will help prop the “feathers” up and ensure your turkey is looking its best!

10. And now… the face! Press two chocolate chips bottom-side-up into the top of the cupcake. Using a toothpick, dab a dot of vanilla frosting on the chocolate chip for the white of the eye. For the beak, cut a small triangle from the second plain sugar cookie. Press it firmly into the cupcake. To make the wattle (the flap of flesh that hangs from the turkey’s beak), unroll the red Fruit Roll-up and cut a small triangle from it. Gently press the triangle into the frosting above the beak.

11. Place the 2 orange Fruit Slice candies at the base of the turkey as feet.

And for the finishing touches…

12. Give your turkey some personality by adding a dollop of milk chocolate frosting to the head for a cute top-notch!

Now it’s time to gobble up some tasty goodness! Enjoy!

For more festive holiday dessert ideas, be sure to take a peek inside Betty’s Kitchen. There are turkey cupcake and cookie recipes galore!