Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake- TMNT

TURTLE POWER!  Having grown up in the 80’s with only a brother to be entertained by, I was “forced” to play with his Ninja Turtles, and “forced” to watch the TV show a time or two!  I guess that was payback for making him play Barbies and My Little Pony!

When I heard there was a new 2014 movie coming out, I knew I had to make a cake- for remembrance sake!  I can’t say I’ve kept up on the on goings of the Turtles since the 80’s and while making the video for this cake, I had to research which Turtle was which; Michelangelo is the orange mask, Donatello the blue, Raphael the red one, and Leonardo wears the purple mask.  Don’t ask me which one has which weapon though!  I obviously didn’t pay much attention to role play when we were with Splinter in sewer!  I don’t think it’s a toy or series that really warrants much deep thought- why are turtles running around on two legs being ninja’s in the sewer?

I think this is a perfect cake and cake pop idea for those of our viewers that have been asking for it, as well as “boy” themed cakes ideas.  For this cake I use TMNT cake pops to place into the top of the cake, and they provide a fun little extra for four special party goers!  I hope all the children of the 80’s and the kids of today (a whole new generation that loves the Turtles), enjoy this cake idea! 

Turtles in a half shell! 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake

Ingredients:

• 8″ two layered cake covered in green Buttercream 
• Melting chocolate- white, black, blue, purple, orange, red, tan, and green 
• Lollipop sticks
• Prepared Vanilla Cake (to crumble up)
• Vanilla Buttercream
• Buttercream- grey, light grey and black

Procedure:

1. Prepare and cover 8″ cake in green buttercream.
2. Place prepared cake or cake scraps into a large bowl. Using both hands, crumble cake into tiny cake crumbs. 
3. Remove one cup of cake crumbs and combine with 2 tablespoons of buttercream and blend together, again using your hands, until it has a playdough like consistency. If the mixture is too wet, add more crumbs. If it is too dry, add more buttercream. 
4. Using a small cookie scoop (2-3 tablespoons), scoop out equal portions of dough and roll each into a small ball. Place each ball on a parchment lined baking tray and set aside. 
5. Melt the green chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl, by using 30-60 second intervals at 50% power and stir repeatedly after each interval of time. 
6. When green chocolate is melted and no chocolate chunks remain, dip an 1″ of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and insert the dipped portion of the stick into the middle of the cake ball. Repeat as required.
7. Take tray with cake pops and place into the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden the chocolate on the sticks. 
8. When sticks are set, remove pops from freezer, and coat cake pops completely by dipping the balls into the melted chocolate (re-melt chocolate if necessary), allow the excess chocolate to drip off and stand cake pop upright in a cake pop stand and allow them to harden completely. Repeat for required number of cake pops. For this cake, I did four- one for each turtle. 
9. Melt red, orange, purple and blue chocolate inside piping bags and cut a small slit off the end of each bag. 
10. Take one colour and draw a bandanna around the turtle’s head. Repeat for each colour. 
11. Once bandanna’s are hardened, melt white and black chocolate in piping bags and cut a small slit off the end of each bag. 
12. Using the white chocolate, pipe the eyes on to the bandanna, and fill in a pupil using the black chocolate. 
13. Allow cake pops to harden completely. 
14. Melt the tan chocolate and using a spoon make a small “pizza” base. Allow to harden.
15. Squeeze white chocolate in a messy manner all over the pizza. Add red circles for pepperoni. Allow to harden. 
16. Using the grey buttercream fitted with a #10 or #12 Wilton icing tip, cover the entire top of the cake. 
17. Switching the tip of the grey buttercream to a smaller round tip such as a #3 or #5, pipe man hole cover details on the top of the grey section; small perpendicular lines about an inch in length. 
18. Choose which side will be the front of the cake and pipe the TMNT logo onto the front. Outline the TMNT in light grey, using a small round tip, such as #3. Fill in the letters with the black buttercream using a round tip such as a #5. 
19. Pipe a border along the base of the cake, where it meets the cake board, using black buttercream and a #10 round tip. Squeezing the piping bag to form a ball, gently pull the bag away from the ball and release pressure. Continue around the base of the cake. 
20. To complete the cake, place the turtle cake pops into the cake. and the pizza in the middle of the cake. 
21. Serve when desired. This cake can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.