Let’s all just say it together: Awwwww! Yeah, he’s cute, and he’s super easy to make. All you need is one cake mix, a cut-up cake template, and a lot of chocolate frosting.
If you’re unfamiliar with cut-up cakes, they’re really, really fun. Basically, you take normally shaped cakes (usually square or round), cut them into different shapes, and assemble the whole thing into something recognizable (like a bat or this Easter bunny). I’ve been making them since I was a kid. In fact, they’re a great kid’s activity.
I did make this one far more fancy than I would if I were really working with a kid (this happens when you know the whole internet may see your product). There are tons of really easy ways to decorate this. You could stick with store-bought frosting, frost the whole thing, and then add details with candy. I’m envisioning Twizzlers for the mouth, Oreo cookies opened up for the eyes, and M&Ms or mints for the ears. And that’s just one thought.
If you’re interested in doing the cake the way I did, I’ll walk you through my process down below. I used a cake mix (doctored, of course) for my cakes, but you’re welcome to use any recipe you like just as long as you can get two 8-inch round cakes out of it. Same goes for the frosting. I used my favorite buttercream recipe, but just about anything will work as long as you’ve got enough to cover the cake.
This is your starting set up. You need two round cakes, a board to put them on, and the cutting template here. This is probably a good time to mention that this bat ends up being extremely, extremely wide. My regular cake board was too short for him (he ended up being 23 inches!), so I had to tuck pieces of foil under each wing. Just a warning.
You have two options for the cutting. You can either lay the template over your cake and poke a knife through it and cut that way, or you can lay the template, poke toothpicks through, then remove it. The second option leaves you with these nice little guide holes that you can then cut through with a knife. The first option is faster, the second is more precise. Your choice. Once you’ve cut the cake up, you’ll reassemble it like this:
The ears are made from the center of the cut cake. There is one small section you won’t use. Feel free to eat it or throw it away. And yes, my cake is red velvet, because bats suck blood!
All that’s left now is the decorating. Feel free to handle that any way you want. If you want to make yours look like mine, this is how it’s done.
I am the world’s worst free hander, so I made a face template, printed it off, cut it out, and placed it on the cake.
I then used a Wilton 3 tip to pipe around the shapes. I did the eye outline in black, the nose in brown, and the mouth in pink, and the teeth in white. I also piped a center to each of the ears, which I forgot to get a picture of.
Next, I went back using a Wilton 18 tip and made little star shapes to fill in my outlines. The result looks like this:
And last but certainly NOT least, I used the 18 tip to pipe dark chocolate stars over the entire rest of the cake. This is very time-consuming, but not at all difficult. I love the way the end result looks, but do be warned. It took me the better part of an hour to finish with the chocolate!
Well, time-consuming or not, I love him! And trust me when I tell you, he tasted delicious π
Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
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Hi! Iβm Diane, mom of two and wife to a pretty great guy. I love to cook and craft. Iβm so excited to share my projects with you!
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14 Comments
Homan at Home
[β¦] Bat Cut-Up Cake [β¦]
Courtney
Awesome cake! I free handed the wings and they turned out great.
Diane Homan
That’s great! I’m so glad it worked for you π
Mary
F a red velvet cake mix, what flavor of pudding did you use?
Diane Homan
I’ve done both chocolate and cheesecake. I think chocolate’s my preference!
Nick
Sorry for my ignorance but do I mix the pudding into the cake mix? (Iβve never baked a cake before in my life π).
Diane Homan
Yes! Mix the cake mix, pudding, eggs, butter, and milk together in a bowl. I’m so glad you’re making your first foray into baking cakes! I hope it goes well π
Nick
Hey thanks Diane,
Wasnβt a total disaster! Daughter loved it but my artistry may need a big of workπ. But tasted great π
Diane Homan
Thanks for letting me know! I never get to hear the happy endings π Happy nearly-Halloween to you and your daughter!
Homan at Home
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Emily
Does this need storing in the fridge? How long does it keep for please? X
Diane Homan
You don’t need to keep it in the fridge. As long as you wrap it up well with Saran wrap, the cake can keep for 2-3 days.
Guadalupe Z Dahlke
Thank you ..these are great!!
Homan at Home
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