Tools Needed: 2 cake mixes, 1 batch of Buttercream Frosting, 1 6 inch round cake pan, at least 1 9 inch round cake pan, 1 sharp knife, 1 cake plate, 2 piping bags with couplers, decorating tips #4-round, #16-star, #21-star and #47-basket weave, food coloring of your choice, fondant, coconut and Easter candy.

Make and bake cake mix according to box instructions. 1 6 inch round and 3 9 inch rounds. Cool completely and level all but one of the 9 inch cakes. Stack with 6 inch round on the bottom, frosting between layers to hold in place.

With the tip of the sharp knife meeting the edge of the 6 inch round and the base of the knife blade at a diagonal angle meeting the top edge of the top 9 inch cake–carve completely around the cake to create the basket shape.

In the photo below the top has already been carved and covered with a small piece of fondant—DO NOT DO THIS!! Live and learn right! The reason for this–it’s easier to frost this cake upside down–and if you carve it first–you will lose the central support for the inside of the cake. So—after you carve the sides down to your desired pattern, brush down the cake to remove any excess crumbs and then cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream frosting to prevent the crumbs from surfacing later.

On a cake plate (or whatever your decorating surface of choice) turn the cake upside down. Fill at least one piping bag with buttercream (color as you desire–but if you are using two colors–you will need two bags. You can either basketweave entirely with tip #47, or you can use the circle tip #4 to create your vertical lines. In this case, I used pink frosting in a bag with tip #4 and plain white buttercream in a bag with tip #47. Once you’ve finished frosting the sides–put your cake plate on the bottom of the cake, and carefully turn it over.

Now is when you would take your sharp knife and cut a two inch deep crater into the top of the cake. Since the top is now delicate cake–use a thin sheet of fondant to cover instead of trying to frost the inside with buttercream–which will cause tearing. After you have covered the center with fondant–you can decorate the bottom and the top rim of the cake using tip #16 to make a Zig Zag pattern along the bottom, and use tip #21 to make a Rope along the top rim of the cake.

Mix flaked coconut with green food coloring and stir until the desired green color is achieved. Sprinkle in ‘crater’ on top of the cake.

For this particular cake, I colored and used fondant flower shape cutters to decorate the rim of the basket. You can choose whatever decoration you like.

After this point you just need to add the handle to make your basket. I used one long roll of fondant, held at the middle and twisted together. I hung it over a mixing bowl over night to dry. I did poke the ends through the cake and added buttercream around each base to secure it. I did add a fondant bow, but that is up to you–and then just fill the basket with your favorite Easter treats. This is where the ‘crater’ comes from. If you don’t cut a small portion out of your cake top (a few steps back) there is no depth to get your candy to nestle into. Place your candy in the desired position–and slightly secure with the coconut flake grass.