My husband’s birthday was this past Sunday, and I wanted to make it extra special for him. He has been working on growing a handlebar mustache for several months now, so I knew he would appreciate me recognizing his efforts with his birthday cake! I present to you, The Mustache Cake.

Happy Birthday, dear husband! I love you, and I hope 2013 is your best year yet!!

I was inspired by a pin on Pinterest which, sadly, I cannot tie back to the original food blogger (all of the links I find are spam 🙁 ). But, whoever had this idea was brilliant!

To make the frosting:

Melt the chocolate according to the package directions. If you want to make this a “one bowl” recipe, make sure to use a large microwaveable bowl. I like to give the chocolate a rough chop first, so that it melts a little faster.

Beat the butter in a bowl. Add the vanilla and chocolate, mixing well.

Mix in the powdered sugar; the mixture will be crumbly.

Add the milk gradually, until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add extra milk about 1 teaspoon at a time.

To make the mustache-shaped cake:
Bake a cake using two round cake pans (8″ or 9″ will work). A boxed cake mix will work, but keep in mind that these mixes produce crumbly cakes that don’t respond too well to shaping! You are better off to make a cake which has a texture closer to sponge cake since you will be slicing the cake after it has been baked.

After the cakes have cooled, frost the flat side of one cake.

Add the other cake on top, flat side down. The two flat sides of the cake will be together, and the rounded sides on the outside.

Make an S-shaped cut through the top of the stacked cakes.

Place one half of the mustache on the serving tray. Flip the other half over, and place it next to the other half. You may want/need to flatten the cakes out at this time. One way to do this would be to flip the halves onto a tray other than your serving tray. Use a sharp knife to cut across the top of the cakes to flatten to a consistent height. Gently place the serving tray on top of the cake (where you just cut it flat) and invert onto the serving tray. This will make the bottom of the cake flat and the top rounded, which will make the mustache sit better on the tray and look better as a finished product!

Frost the cake with a thin layer first to coat and seal. Some people call this a “crumb coat”.

Then, fill a piping bag with the remaining frosting. To fill the piping bag a little easier, roll the sides over the rim of a large cup, and fill with your spatula.

Use a large star tip (I used a Wilton 166 tip) to pipe the mustache whiskers all over the top, and down the sides. Enjoy!

Chocolate Frosting, and Mustache Cake!

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Ingredients

4 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter 1 stick, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 16-oz pkg powdered sugar about 3 3/4 cups
1/3 cup milk

Instructions

Melt chocolate according to package directions. Beat butter in a bowl. Add vanilla and chocolate, mixing well. Mix in powdered sugar; mixture will be crumbly. Add milk gradually, until desired consistency is reached. If frosting is too thick, add extra milk about 1 teaspoon at a time.

Keyword Cake

Recipe adapted from Kraft

Other frosting recipes: Cream Cheese Frosting