Scarecrow Cake

3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 container (1 pound) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
1 tablespoon chocolate-flavored syrup
1 box (4 ounces) waffle ice cream bowls (10 bowls)
1 box (4.5 ounces) Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot® chewy fruit snack rolls (6 rolls)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat all ingredients except frosting, syrup, waffle bowls and fruit snack with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

2. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.

3. Place cake on serving plate. Stir together frosting and syrup; reserve 1/4 cup of the frosting. Spread remaining frosting over cake. For straw hat, place 1 waffle bowl upside down in center of cake. Stack 5 more bowls on first bowl.

4. For hair, cut fruit snack into 14 (6-inch) strips and 14 (5-inch) strips. Cut each strip lengthwise to within 1 inch of top of strip. Place one 6-inch and 5-inch strip together, pressing together at uncut ends. Repeat with remaining strips. Randomly press pairs of strips on top of two-thirds of cake, overlapping as needed and allowing strips to hang over side of cake. Spread reserved 1/4 cup frosting over top of hair.

5. For brim of hat, break remaining waffle bowls into 5 or 6 pieces each. Randomly press waffle pieces on top of cake, overlapping and tucking pieces as needed. Allow waffle pieces to hang over side of cake and over fruit snack strips. Cut pieces of remaining fruit snack for eyes and nose; press on cake.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 3/4 cup, buttermilk to 3/4 cup and baking soda to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Increase water to 1 cup. Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Special Touch
Having a fund-raiser or bake sale? Sell raffle tickets for this cake. Lucky someone!

Time Saver
Use your favorite Betty Crocker® cake mix instead of making the scratch cake recipe.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 390 (Calories from Fat 130); Total Fat 14g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat 2g); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 300mg; Total Carbohydrate 62g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 37g); Protein 5g

Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 4%; Iron 10%

Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 4

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of © 2009 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved