Cute Dragonfly & Dinosaur Cakes for my neighbor kids... FUN

I made these fun cakes for my neighbor kids the other day.  Acutally I made a frog cake first, for the littlest guy... and then asked the older two what they would like.  Of course the little girl said "Dragonfly" and her brother said "Dinosaur".   Well, seeing that I am not a baker, this was going to be a challenge...but I was determined to make these for them.

The Dragon fly cake I made out of just one cake mix ~ confetti of course. LOL  I took two bread loaf pans, and filled one up a little more that the other.  The more full, or larger one would be the body and the smaller would be for the tail portion.  Then I made a couple of cupcakes for the eyes.  I watched carefully while they cooked as the smaller one came out sooner than the others.

So, when cooked and cooled, I cut the larger cake in half and layed the rounded tops so they were on top.  I frosted between to "hold it together".  Then I cut the smaller cake in half for the tail.  I ended up just cutting of the rounded top of the cupcakes for the eyes. Then chose colors and dyed regular vanilla frosting...and then frost, frost, frost.

For the wings, I melted sugar to the hard crack stage, and then drizzled on parchment paper in the shape of wings.  I made double the amount of wings I needed "just in case"...and good thing I did because one of the lacey pretty wings broke, and needed to be replaced.

As for the Dinosaur, I again made this guy out of one cake mix.  I used two round cake pans.  Once cooked and cooled, I cut one in half and layed it side to side so that the rounded part was on the top.  And I left it so that there was a little space to make it look "ridgy".  Then I took the other round cake and sort of cut a crescent out of it for the tail.  then I cut a circle using a large glass for the head.  Frosted and then for the "spines", toe nails, etc I used organic fruit leather... the natural kind is harder and easier to cut then fruit roll ups.  Then, Ta-Da... drop off to your young neighbors and leave feeling like a rock star! :-)

Hope you enjoyed!
Laura