How to Make a Mac and Cheese Cake

Mac and cheese purists, look away: This version is made out of cake and candy! To create it, we baked and frosted a bowl-shaped cake, then piped orange candy melts and piled them on top to look like macaroni. Read on for the how-to.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl with cooking spray. Make the cake mix as directed; pour the batter into the bowl.

Bake the cake in the bowl until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool slightly, then remove from the bowl to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the macaroni: Melt the orange and yellow candy melts together in the microwave, stirring. Let cool slightly.

Transfer the melted candy to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe 50 to 60 elbows onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let set, about 20 minutes.

Put the bowl cake right-side up. Use a small knife to score a rim around the top of the cake, about 1/2 inch in from the edge. Carve out a little of the cake inside the rim to create a bowl.

Flip the bowl upside down onto a separate parchment-lined baking sheet and cover the sides with frosting, leaving the middle bare. (You’ll flip it and this will become the bottom.) Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Flip the bowl cake right-side up. Cover the rim with more frosting, reserving about 3/4 cup.

Tint the reserved frosting orange using orange and yellow food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with the 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe squiggles of frosting inside the rim of the cake.