2 DAYS IN ADVANCE

Make candy cupcake top and chick head. Melt white Candy Melts candy according to package directions. Use melted white candy and Dimensions large cupcake pan to mold a candy shell cupcake top, 1/4 in. thick. Unmold. Reserve remaining white candy.

Melt 36 oz. yellow Candy Melts candy according to package directions. Use 18 oz. of melted yellow candy for each 3-D sports ball pan half to mold chick head. Let chill 15 minutes or until a shell, 1/2 in. thick, has formed. Unmold. Reserve remaining yellow candy. Slide edges of each half on warm cookie sheet. Attach halves together to form head. Set aside.

Make candy number and wings. For number, use green candy color from garden candy color set to tint 1/2 oz. of melted white candy green. Place number 1 cutter from 101 cookie cutters set on non-stick biscuit/brownie pan. Use melted green candy in cut parchment bag to fill cutter 1/7 in. thick. Tap to settle. Chill until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve remaining white candy.

For wings, place moon cutter from set on biscuit/brownie pan. Use melted yellow candy in cut parchment bag to fill 1/4 in. deep. Tap to settle. Chill until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat for second wing. Use melted candy to attach lollipop stick to one end of wing, leaving 4 in. extended to insert in cake. Chill until firm, 5 to 10 minutes.

1 DAY IN ADVANCE

Bake and cool Dimensions large cupcake bottom. Use firm-textured batter, such as pound cake.

Decorate cake. Prepare buttercream icing following recipe directions. Tint portions leaf green/lemon yellow combination (for green), sky blue, violet/rose combination (for violet), lemon yellow/ golden yellow combination (for yellow), rose/burgundy combination (for rose), and small portions orange and brown to reserve for facial features. Use spatula and yellow icing to ice cake top smooth. Use tip 2A to cover cake sides with lines in alternating colors, piping recessed areas fi rst, then raised sections.

Assemble cake. Use knife to cut hidden pillar to height of cake. Insert pillar in center of cake. Chill chick head for 10 to 15 minutes. Use melted yellow candy in cut parchment bag to attach pillar to chilled chick head. Hold until fi rm. Use melted candy to attach cupcake top to top of head. Use reserved melted white candy in cut parchment bag to attach jumbo confetti sprinkles and candy number to cupcake top. Let set, 3 to 5 minutes. Insert wings in cake. Use tip 7 and orange icing to build up a mound for beak. Shape into triangle and pat smooth with fi nger dipped in cornstarch. Use tip 5 and brown icing to pipe dot eyes.