I made this octopus birthday cake for my nephew's first birthday. I used the Wilton round half mold for the body (I reduced the oil by 1 tbsp to make the cake a little denser. worked perfectly. The directions for the pan say it will need 1 standard cake mix per half but there is no way that'll work. By the time I cut off the top mounded part I ended up having to make a thick 9" round cake and put it in the middle and it still didn't come out round. I also should've tried to use the mound that I cut off to round out the top of the mold.) The hat is an ice cream cone and the legs are piped frosting. For the sand I used crushed graham crackers and brown sugar (to make it stick to the glass I first covered the glass with honey). I made the shells and starfish with a candy mold and candy melts. I piped on the mouth and eyes with frosting. I used a toothpick to write Happy Birthday in the sand.

My sister-in-law cried when she saw it :-)