Ingredients
Butter cream frosting
Method
1.Preheat oven to moderate; grease and line two 20cm ring pans. Make cakes according to directions on packets, divide mixture between pans; bake in moderate oven about 35 minutes. Stand cakes in pans 5 minutes; turn onto wire racks to cool. Using serrated knife, level cake tops so they are the same height.
2.Meanwhile, trace two 3cm x 4cm eyes on a sheet of baking paper; turn paper over so outlines are underneath. Place melted chocolate in piping bag. Pipe eyes onto baking paper, as shown; refrigerate until set.
3.Make butter cream: In a small bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until as white as possible; beat in sifted icing sugar and milk in two batches.
4.Turn cakes cut-side down. Trim a shallow arc from one cake so the two cakes fit neatly together in a figure 8. Assemble cake pieces on prepared board, cut-side down; remaining cake.
5.Reserve about 1 tsp of butter cream. Tint half the remaining butter cream with purple colouring; spread over top and side of head. Tint remaining butter cream with aqua colouring; spread over top and side of remaining cake.
6.Position Pythons around octopus chin, pressing gently into butter cream.
7.Combine jelly crystals, coconut and purple colouring in small plastic bag; rub until mixture is evenly coloured. Sprinkle mixture over face and top of tentacles.
8.Cut liquorice into thin strips; outline mouth around hole in centre of head. Position extra Melts for teeth. Position eyes on head; position Smarties for pupils, using a little of the reserved butter cream.
