Instructions

1. Cover the entire cake tray with aluminum foil. Alternatively, cover the cake tray in a wax-coated paper in the colors of your favorite baseball team.

2. Line up the cakes diagonally across the cake tray, one after the other. Use the knife to taper the cakes at one end, grading gradually down the line of the three cakes. Leave a rounded bump on the end for the baseball bat handle.

3. Undercut the bottom sides of the cakes slightly, to give the impression of a rounded bat, and round off the end of the bat. The excess cake can be discarded, or enjoyed with a cup of tea before frosting the baseball bat cake.

4. Mix a couple of drops at a time of brown food coloring into the frosting, stopping when a light tan shade is achieved. Spread this color over the entire baseball bat cake. Smooth over the top of the cake with the spatula.

5. Mix a couple more drops of food coloring into the remaining frosting, making a darker shade of brown. Blend this brown frosting from the undercut edges of the cake up the sides---this will further give the feeling of a rounded bat. Contour the handle of the bat with the same brown, a little in the crease between the handle and the length of the bat, shading it in with the spatula.

6. Dip the spatula in the glass of hot water, shaking off the excess, then go over the surface of the frosting. Re-dip the spatula every 30 seconds or so, to keep it hot. The hot spatula will make the frosting melt slightly, just enough for you to work a very smooth, even surface.