A Lion Cake for St. Mark's Feast Day

This Lion Cake was submitted by my friend Jacinta. She made it for her son's birthday, on the feast of St. Leo, but it would also be perfect for the upcoming feast of St. Mark, since he is often symbolized as a lion.  Thank you Jacinta!

Lion Cake

(recipe from Parenting Magazine)

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) round cake
1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
Orange food coloring*
1 can (5 oz) crunchy chow-mein noodles
2 Junior Mints
1 small tube brown decorating icing
3 red Starburst or Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews
6 brown M&M's Minis
2 gummy peach-flavored rings [Note: there's no official name for this]

What you'll need:

A bread knife
A resealable sandwich-size bag (Ziploc)
A serving platter

*If you can't find orange food coloring, use a mixture of red and yellow food coloring to achieve the right color.


Trimming the cake:

1. Place the cake on a clean work surface. Using the bread knife, trim a 1 by 5-inch long piece on an angle from opposite sides of the cake to create the lion's jawline (see picture). Discard scraps. 

For the frosting:

1. Spoon 3 Tbsp of the untinted vanilla frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Add the food coloring to the remaining frosting to tint it orange.

Assembling the cake:

1. Place the cake on a serving platter. Spread the cake evenly with the orange frosting.
2. Poke the chow-mein noodles into the sides of the cake for the mane; insert more chow-mein noodles into a widow's-peak shape into the top 2 inches of the cake to create the lion's forehead.

For the face:

1. Snip a small corner from the bag of untinted vanilla frosting. Pipe two 1 ½-inch circles for the lion's eyes.
2. Place the Junior Mints onto the circles for the irises. Pipe a small dab of vanilla frosting on each Junior Mint to add sparkle to the eyes. Place a chow-mein noodle above each eye for the lion's eyebrows.
3. Using the brown decorating icing, pipe a W shape for the lion's mouth, as pictured.
4. Microwave the red Starburst for 2 to 3 seconds to soften slightly. Knead the Starburst together to make a 1 ½-inch triangle and place it in the center of the cake for the nose.
5. Add the M&M's Minis for freckles. To finish, lay the gummy peach rings on the upper left and right corners of the cake for the lion's ears.

You can also find the directions for making Lion Cupcakes and other foods in honor of St. Mark in the archives!