Pretty Poinsettia Cake

Trim tops and sides of cakes (see page 00).

To tint Creamy Decorator's Frosting, tint 1/4 cup pale yellow, 1/2 cup deep red, 1/4 cup green (see page 00) and reserve 2 cups for white frosting. Thin remaining Creamy Decorator's Frosting with milk, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is a thin consistency.

Place one cake on prepared cake board. Frost top with about 1/2 cup Fudge Frosting. Place second cake on top. Frost top and sides with thinned frosting to seal in crumbs. Frost again with remaining Fudge Frosting. Smooth frosting on top and sides (see page 00).

Mark cake top into 9 squares (about 2-1/2 inches each) with toothpick, using ruler as guide to lightly score edges of each piece.

For poinsettia petals, mark center of each square with toothpick, using ruler as guide. Pipe 8 leaves (see page 00) around each center mark with red frosting and number 352 tip, overlapping base of leaves slightly.

For poinsettia centers, pipe 1 dot (see page 00) in center of each poinsettia with yellow frosting and number 3 tip.

For poinsettia leaves, pipe 1 leaf on each poinsettia with green frosting and number 352 tip.

For border around each square, pipe rows of tiny shells (see page 00) along scored lines in frosting with reserved white frosting and number 13 tip, starting at top and working downward for each line.

Pipe bottom and top shell borders (see page 00) with white frosting and switching to number 32 tip.

Pipe 1 dot in each corner of bottom border with red frosting and switching to number 3 tip. Pipe leaf on each side of each dot with green frosting and number 352 tip.