Instructions

1. Place one of the round cakes on the center of a large cake platter. This cake will be decorated to look like Mario's face. His hat will be made from the other round cake.

2. Remove the cupcake liners from two of the cupcakes and place them on either side of the round cake. These will serve as Mario's ears.

3. Remove the liner from another cupcake and cut it in half vertically. Place this cupcake at the bottom of the cake to serve as Mario's chin.

4. Frost the cake with tan frosting so it will look like Mario's skin color. Use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread the frosting on the cakes so the connections between them look seamless.

5. Remove the liner from the final cupcake and cut it in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place this cake on the center of the frosted round cake to serve as Mario's nose. Frost the cupcake with tan frosting, connecting it to the larger cake with frosting.

6. Use a serrated knife to cut a moon shape out of the other round cake. This cake will serve as Mario's hat. Spread red frosting on the hat with the butter knife and place it flush above Mario's face on the cake platter.

7. Fill a pastry bag with chocolate frosting. With the round pastry tip, pipe Mario's mustache on the cake just below the nose. Pipe his eyebrows on just below the brim of the hat and pipe some brown hair onto the cake just above the ears and on the sides, below the brim of the hat.

8. Fill the pastry bag with white frosting and, with the round pastry tip, pipe a small half-moon shape just below his mustache to create Mario's mouth. Pipe on two more half-moon shapes that will serve as the whites of Mario's eyes. The base of the half-moon should connect with Mario's nose and the tops should extend to underneath his eyebrows. Pipe a white circle onto Mario's hat, which will be the base of the logo on the front of his hat.

9. Fill the pastry bag with blue frosting and pipe two more half-moon shapes right beside the white half-moons to continue creating Mario's eyes.

10. Fill the pastry bag with black frosting and complete Mario's eyes by piping two circles flush against the nose. Outline the upper border of the whites of his eyes with the black frosting. Outline his white mouth with the black frosting as well. Use the black frosting to outline the white frosting on his hat and to draw a long, sloping line to create the look of his hat's brim.

11. Fill the pastry bag with red frosting and pipe an M onto the white circle to complete the logo on the front of his hat.