Big Top Circus Cake

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans).

Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Place cake on tray or cardboard, with short sides of cake forming top and bottom of tent. Use serrated knife to cut 2 corner triangles off top of cake, going 5 inches down long sides of cake to form tent top.

Use half of 1 container frosting to spread a thin coat on top of cake. Frost a second time with remaining frosting in container.

Use red gel food color to color remaining container of frosting desired shade of red. Place red frosting in decorating bag fitted with star tip. Pipe a line of stars horizontally across cake to divide the top of the big top from the base. Pipe stripes on cake, leaving a larger section of white in center of cake to accommodate number.

Use remaining red frosting to pipe stripes on top of the big top, starting wide at the base and getting smaller as they meet at the top of the cake. Pipe desired number in center of cake.

Cut a 4-inch piece of the straw. Tape the long end of the paper triangle to the straw. Poke base of straw into top of the cake.