Kid's Birthday Cake Pinwheel Toppers

This homemade, densely rich chocolate cake with cookies and cream icing should mean smiles all around. And whether it's for a birthday party or you just want a special something to end a meal, these DIY cake toppers are a sweet and simple addition. Want to make some? Here's the scoop:

1. Cut three 4x8 inch rectangles, cutting each one from a different color/patterned paper, being mindful which way pattern flows.

2. Cut two 3.5x7 inch rectangles out of the rest of the paper, again making sure each one is a different color/pattern.

3. Place the paper pattern side down and begin to fold back and forth, accordion style. Each fold should be about inch wide.

4. Pinch the paper together and then fold in half both ways, so you can easily glue edges together.

5. Use hot glue gun to put glue on one half of the ends. Fold the accordion in half so that the ends meet. Repeat with the other side to make a complete circle. Put glue on the backside and place a bamboo skewer on top, making sure the pointed end of the skewer is on the bottom (that's the end you want to put in the cake). Let it set bamboo side up until it dries.

6. Repeat with each color of paper.

7. Stick toppers into cake at varying heights.

CHOCOLATE CAKE with COOKIES and CREAM ICING

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour

cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk

cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

1 package of chocolate cream cookies

2 cups butter

1 cup powder sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium size bowl, stir together all dry ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

3. In a sauce pan, bring one cup of water to a boil and stir in instant coffee. Immediately stir into cake batter. The batter will be thin.

4. Butter and flour three 8 inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Evenly pour batter into each pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. While cakes are cooling, make frosting.

6. Add entire package of chocolate cream cookies to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the cookies are completely crumbs (no chunks).

7. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, cookie crumbs and powdered sugar. Whip on high until fluffy.

8. Line cake stand with parchment paper and a cake board. Place the first layer on the board with a little less than a cup of frosting. Using an offset spatula, spread to the edges. Repeat with each layer. To frost the sides, pile the frosting on top of the cake and pull frosting down the sides of the cake with an offset spatula. Once sides are covered, use a board scrapper to smooth out the sides and top of the cake. Remove parchment paper from cake stand.