Shaped Cakes Can Be Easy
If you have two 8-inch round cake pans and a standard 13×9-inch baking pan, you can easily create this adorable panda bear shaped cake. This kind of cake is often referred to as a “shaped cake”, referencing the fact that its result goes far beyond the typical rounds and rectangles from which it is constructed. This is perfect for a child’s birthday or theme party and the folks at Betty Crocker make it even easier by using a devil’s food cake mix. You could certainly try our Easy Chocolate Cake (double the recipe), if you prefer a scratch cake,
Reprinted with permission from Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cakes. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, copyright 2013. Photos by General Mills Photography Studios.
Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Start to Finish: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- 2 boxes devil’s food cake mix with pudding
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ containers chocolate creamy ready-to-spread frosting
- Black food color
- 1 large marshmallow
- Tray or cardboard (20 x 18 inches), covered with wrapping paper and plastic food wrap or foil
- 1 ½ containers vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting
- 2 small round chocolate-covered creamy mints
- Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease 2 (8-inch) round pans and a 13 x 9-inch pan, or spray with baking spray with flour. In large bowl, beat 1 cake mix, 1 cup of the water, ½ cup of the oil and 3 eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour evenly into round pans. Bake as directed on box. Cool cakes 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, remaining 1 cup water, ½ cup oil and 3 eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake as directed on box. Cool cake 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze cakes about 1 hour or until firm.
- In medium bowl, mix 1 container plus 1 cup chocolate frosting with food color to make black frosting. Cut marshmallow in half crosswise. Using serrated knife, cut off top rounded portion of each cake to level surface. Turn cakes cut sides down. Cut cakes as shown in templates below. Place cake pieces on tray as directed in template, attaching to tray and to each other with small about of frosting.
- Spread thin layer of vanilla frosting over head and thin layer of black frosting over ears, body and paws to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cakes 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting.
- Frost head with some of remaining vanilla frosting. Frost rest of cake with some of remaining black frosting. To pipe on panda features, spoon vanilla and black frostings into separate resealable plastic freezer bags and cut small tip off 1 corner of each bag.
- Pipe or spread vanilla frosting on body to create chest. Pipe or spread black frosting on head for patches around eyes. Place marshmallow eyes on patches. For pupils, attach 1 mint to each marshmallow slice with frosting. Pipe or spread black frosting on snout for nose and mouth. Pipe or spread vanilla frosting on back paws to create paw prints. Pipe outline around body and front legs with black frosting. Fill in outline with black frosting so front legs have thicker layer or frosting than white chest. Using metal spatula, create a different texture on the body and front legs to further define legs from chest and back paws. Store loosely covered.
Sweet Tips from Betty Crocker
- To pipe frosting, simple place frosting in a resealable plastic freezer bag and cut off a small tip from 1 corner. Squeeze bag to pipe frosting on cake. Piping allows for good control and placement of frosting.
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