How to Make an Elephant Cake (Step-by-Step Tutorial!)
Want to make the cutest elephant cake, regardless of your cake decorating ability? This elephant cut-up cake tutorial includes easy instructions for constructing and decorating!
Ever made a cut-up cake before? It’s such a fun old-school idea—you bake a couple of simple cakes, cut them up, and piece them back together into something totally new. This elephant version is super easy and makes the cutest centerpiece for birthdays or baby showers.
All it takes are two 9-inch circle cakes and a few quick cuts to get the shape. I decorated mine with the star method, but you can just as easily smooth on frosting or pile on sprinkles and candy. And don’t worry—I’ve included a cutting guide and decorating template so you can follow along without any guesswork.
Elephant Cut Up Cake Tutorial
Materials
- two 9 inch round cakes (see recipe below)
- serrated knife
- cake board (at least 14″x19″)
- printed cutting guide
- buttercream frosting (see recipe below) tinted grey, dark grey, black, and pink
- Piping bags and couplers
- Wilton tip #4
- Wilton tip #18
- Wilton tip #12
Directions
Make sure your cake is completely cooled to room temperature before you begin cutting!
Cutting and Shaping
Decorating
There are so many ways to decorate your giraffe cake! The original cut-up cakes often used shredded coconut, but feel free to get creative. Here are some options:
- Shredded coconut: This was the classic method in old-school cut-up cakes. Spread a thin layer of white frosting over the whole cake, then press on shredded coconut. To dye coconut, check out this tutorial from Lady Behind the Curtain. You’ll need about 2-3 cups total to cover this cake.
- Candy: Use candies to add fun features, like chocolate chips or M&Ms for eyes, mini marshmallows or gumdrops for a bow, Twizzlers or licorice for a smile, or flattened Tootsie Rolls to make an ear!
- Piped Icing: This is the way I did mine. Feel free to follow the tutorial below to make your own. Fair warning: it’s not hard, but it does take a while!
And voila! You have an absolutely adorable elephant perfect for birthdays, baby showers, and jungle-themed anything!
Doctored Cake Mix and Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 15.25 oz box cake mix, any flavor
- 3.4 oz pkg pudding mix, complimentary flavor
- 1 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup melted butter
For the buttercream
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- water to thin as needed
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Grease and flour a 9 inch pan, or line it with parchment paper. Pour half the cake batter into a pan.
- Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes at 350° or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 to make another cake layer.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before cutting and forming the elephant.
For the buttercream
- Cream butter and shortening using an electric mixer.
- Add vanilla and salt and mix until well combined.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well.
- When all the powdered sugar has been added, add water 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Tint the icing as needed to decorate your elephant!
