Loaded Cheeseburger Cake

Summertime conjures up all sorts of images of grilled delights, and the best one this summer has been sweet!

In June my Aunt stumbled upon hamburger cookies at a taste testing station in her grocery store.  In a stroke of genius, she grabbed the cookie and resisted the temptation to eat it so she could share its cuteness with me!  (I will explain how it was assembled a little further down!)

In July she came to a barbeque at our house with a cake version that was to die for!  I had to make one and share it with all of you.  I hope you're hungry!

Loaded Cheeseburger Cake
Yields 12 Servings

Ingredients

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1 Box Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 Jar Vanilla Frosting
Red Food Coloring
Yellow Food Coloring
2 Cups Shredded Coconut
Green Food Coloring
Green Gummie Lifesavers
Purple Gummie Lifesavers
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

To Prepare the Cake 
You will need to make the two cakes the night before or several hours before you assemble the cake.

1. Prepare the Yellow and Devil's Food Cake mixes per the directions on their boxes.
2. Pour the yellow cake mix into a 9 inch cake pan, and the devil's food cake mix into a 10 inch pan. 
3. Once the cakes are baked be sure they cool either over night, or for at least 2 hours in the fridge before assembly.
4. Using a serrated knife, cut the yellow cake in half. 
5. Split the icing into two bowls.
6. Dye half of the icing yellow, so it looks like cheese, and then dye the other half red so it looks like ketchup.  For red dye I prefer using candy dye or actual frosting dye, as opposed to food coloring.  It makes a more accurate shade of red, instead of pink!
7. Slather the bottom "bun" with the red icing.
8. Place the "burger" on the iced bun.
9. Ice the top of the burger with the yellow icing.
10. Make a cut in the purple Gummie Lifesavers and stretch them out so they lose the majority of their circular shape.  Then place them so they are in the icing and hanging over the edge of the cake so they look like red onions. 
10. Dye 1 cup of coconut green, and 1 cup of coconut yellow.  Then gently mix them together. 
11. Top the burger and icing with the coconut.
12. Place some of the green Gummie Lifesavers on top of the coconut so they look like pickles.
13. Add the top bun, brush it with honey, and sprinkle some sesame seeds across the top!

Here is the what the inside looks like when you dig into it!

My Dad thought it needed to be compared to something to show off its size...

 

The cookie version of this treat is as simple as this...

A chocolate Grasshopper cookie between two Nilla Waffers.  Fill it with yellow and red icing and a splash of green coconut!  You can also add the honey and sesame seeds.  

I thought about also making a slider version of these by baking the cake mixes on cookie sheets with deep lips, and then cutting out the burgers and buns with circle cookie cutters.  You could add icing, coconut, and a pickle!  They would end up being approximately the size of a cupcake.