Hot Dog Cupcake Cake

Ingredients:

• 5.5 tbsp. butter cream
• Ivory gel food coloring, for decorating
• Brown gel food coloring, for decoration
• Red gel food coloring, for decoration
• Yellow gel food coloring, for decoration
• Black gel food coloring, for decoration
• 16 of your favorite cupcakes
• 1/4 cup green gummy bears
• Special equipment: 3 pastry bags with medium round tips

Preparation:

1. Tint about 2 cups of buttercream the color of the hot dog bun by mixing ivory food coloring with a few drops of brown food coloring. Tint about 2 cups of buttercream the color of the sausage by mixing equal parts red and brown food coloring. Tint a small amount of buttercream (about 0.5 cup) the deep red of ketchup. Tint a small amount of buttercream (about 0.5 cup) the deep yellow of mustard. Tint the remaining buttercream (about 0.5 cup) a rich black for grill marks.
2. Place the cupcakes in 3 horizontal rows, 5 in the top and bottom rows and 6 in the middle row.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, spoon about 1/4 cup of sausage-colored frosting onto each cupcake in the middle row. Smooth the tops with an offset spatula, making a long sausage-shaped strip with rounded edges at both ends. Smooth all the edges of the cupcakes.
4. Wash and dry your ice cream scoop and spatula. Spoon the bun-colored frosting onto the remaining cupcakes and smooth it out, rounding the ends to create a bun-like appearance. Lightly dampen your spatula and smooth the edges where the sausage meets the bun to maintain a clean transition.
5. Place the red, yellow, and black frostings in separate piping bags fitted with medium round tips. Pipe the black frosting onto the sausage in five evenly spaced diagonal lines to create grill marks. Pipe wavy lines of ketchup and mustard along the length of the sausage. Cut the green gummy bears into small pieces and scatter them over the sausage to create a relish.
   
   Note
   
   If you want a larger cake, make a thicker hot dog by adding an extra row of six cupcakes in the center.