Kermit the Frog Cake / Muppets Cake using Green Velvet Cake

I don’t often get sick, but when I do, I get SICK.  Being a Kindergarten teacher, I have had my fair share of minor colds and coughs, but this year, a doozy of one hit my class, and inevitably, me.  I ended up on pneumonia antibiotics and was given an inhaler to feel better, both of which worked and I am so happy to be back in the land of the vertical!  While I was in bed, I had lots of time to plan ideas for future videos, so I have tons of ideas to turn into fabulous cakes and desserts!  Just as soon as I stop coughing.    

The idea for this Kermit the Frog cake came from my desire to use my giant cupcake mold, and the fact that the new Muppets movie is coming out at the end of the month!  I’ve had a metal giant cupcake mold for years, but I recently got this new silicone one, and highly recommend it.  When using the metal one, I would generously coat it with non-stick spray, and the top portion would always stick and never come out in one piece.  I haven’t had this problem with the silicone mold once.  Each time both pieces of the cupcake pop out easily.  If you’ve ever had a cake stick to the pans and break when coming out, you know how annoying it can be. 

 Kermit takes a leading role for the new movie, Muppets Most Wanted, and according to the movie synapse, there is a Kermit the Frog look-alike and a jewel heist involved.  It sounds like a great one to take the kids to and obviously if there are two Kermit’s, you must make a Kermit cake! 

Kermit the Frog Green Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

Green Velvet Cake:

• giant cupcake mold 
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon green gel paste
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Kermit:

• green buttercream
• pink buttercream
• red buttercream
• 2 Oreo’s 
• white chocolate (melted) 
• black gel paste 
• green fondant (lighter in shade than the buttercream)
• toothpicks

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare green velvet cake first. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and salt. Whisk until combined. In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and green gel paste. Mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, and then half of the buttermilk. Repeat. In a separate small bowl combine baking soda and vinegar. Quickly add mixture to batter and mix for about 10-15 seconds. Dived batter equally between the pieces of the giant cupcake mold.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool on a cool rack for 10 minutes before removing from mold. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

To decorate Kermit cake, prepare coloured buttercreams.
For the eyes, cut a small slice off the bottom of each of the Oreo’s so that the eyes will sit flat on the cake. Dip both cookies into the melted chocolate and allow to harden. Once hardened, paint on the pupils by making a circle in the centre, and a line through the centre, continuing slightly outwards.

Once the cake is cooled, level each layer, and attach on top of each other with a layer of buttercream. Using a serrated knife, cut a piece out of the up part of the cake, in line with the bottom layer, that will act as the mouth.

Cover entire cake in green buttercream, leaving the mouth portion without. Use the red buttercream to cover in mouth portion, and apply a small amount of pink buttercream for the tongue.

Once the eyes are hardened trim off any excess white chocolate, and insert a toothpick into the flat portion of the cookie. Place the other end of the toothpick into the cake, near the top, centre. Repeat for the second eye.

The final step is to roll out your green fondant and cut into long, narrow triangles. Place these at the base of the giant cupcake (Kermit’s neck) and place them all the way around.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

To have a lighter shade of green velvet, use less gel paste and to have a darker shade, use more.

To achieve a smooth finish to Kermit, I used a hot knife to spread the buttercream.  Simply run a knife under hot water, quickly dry it, and then press and swipe onto any places that the buttercream needs smoothing.