Today Im going to demonstrate how to make a cake with zebra stripes on the inside! This is such a fantastic surprise-inside cake and a fun alternative to a traditional chocolate and vanilla marbled cake.
By the way, I did not invent the zebra cake. Im not sure who did–but if you google zebra cakes, youll see all kinds of recipes that point to basically the same outcome–very cool looking zebra slices! Youll see that part in just a second.
First, lets talk batter– Youll most often see chocolate and white zebra cakes, but for a fun twist, you can tint your batter with coloring gels to create all sorts of unique combinations of colorful stripes!
We went the boxed cake route and bought a box of Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake, and a box of Duncan Hines French Vanilla. We chose these because they dont have pudding in the mix (like Pillsbury & Betty Crocker, which can be a little thick for this project–although I love them for anything else).
We prepared the batter for each cake mix separately and found the batter to be just the right consistency. If the batter is too thick, the effect will be more difficult to achieve. If they batter is very thin, it may spread too quickly.
(*** If you would like to try this cake with a scratch recipe, you can choose your favorite white or yellow cake recipe and then divide it approx. in half– you can stir approximately 3 tablespoons or so of dutch processed cocoa powder into one of your bowls of batter to create chocolate batter.
Then, we poured ¼ cup of vanilla batter into the middle of our 8″ pan. It will spread a little bit. Then…
Measure out a ¼ cup of chocolate batter and pour it in the center of your vanilla batter.
Repeat this process, continuing with ¼ cup scoops of alternating flavors, each flavor of batter dropped into the center of the previous circle of batter. The batter is thin enough that it does not take long at all for the batter to spread and push out a little bit.
Continue the process until your pans are approximately ⅔ full. (We had a couple of cups leftover, which we used to make extra cake layers for another time.)
Well…heres where it would have been nice of me to take a picture of the baked layers. They look exactly like the above picture, only…baked. :0)
I assembled my fat two layer cake as I always do…the bottom layer right side up, and the top layer top side down (with buttercream in between). Im sure that the zebra effect would look pretty no matter how you stack your layers.
After crumb coating my cake with vanilla buttercream, I used a Wilton star tip 21 (one of my faves) to do a reverse shell pattern with my medium consistency buttercream.
I always love a nice reverse shell border, but I now like them even better when piped vertically!
You can see that I staggered mine a bit so that neighboring lines fit nicely together. Is it just me or does my cake look like its wearing a snuggly buttercream sweater?! (Find out more about reverse shell borders in our tutorial on How to Pipe with a Star Tip!)
Okay, time for the big reveal! (I said a little prayer after all of that piping that the zebra stripes actually would be there when we cut into the cake!)
Whew! It worked! I couldnt be happier with the outcome. I LOVE these zebra print cake layers!
Its always nice to have a hidden surprise inside of the cake! If you havent tried this method already, make sure to put it on your cake “bucket list”. Its so much fun, and looks much more complicated than it actually is, which I love!
*An update~ When this tutorial was first created, the sizes of standard box mixes were larger (around 18.5 oz). Now, they are 16.5 oz. We tested the zebra cake again with the new smaller size and still had great results.
Did you know that we also have a leopard print (on the inside) cake video tutorial? Its one of our favorites! Leopard Print Cake Tutorial
Or if you are just looking for a good old fashioned Marble Cake recipe, we have just the one! Its good to have options!
There are many ways to add a surprise inside your cake. You can double bake cake and even bake cakes with biscuits or cookies inside. You can use food colour to colour your batter before baking or even cut a hollow in the centre and fill it with sweets.
Whew! It worked! I couldnt be happier with the outcome. I LOVE these zebra print cake layers!
I assembled my fat two layer cake as I always do…the bottom layer right side up, and the top layer top side down (with buttercream in between). Im sure that the zebra effect would look pretty no matter how you stack your layers.
After crumb coating my cake with vanilla buttercream, I used a Wilton star tip 21 (one of my faves) to do a reverse shell pattern with my medium consistency buttercream.
Continue the process until your pans are approximately ⅔ full. (We had a couple of cups leftover, which we used to make extra cake layers for another time.)
Then, we poured ¼ cup of vanilla batter into the middle of our 8″ pan. It will spread a little bit. Then…
Well. In order for me to do a tutorial, I had to make another one. So, forgive the less than stellar decorations, but here is our ‘tutorial’ heart cake.
Well, it turns out some of you daring bakers want to make this Surprise Inside Cake yourselves. Yeah, you! I can’t wait to see and read all about it… send me links girls! (and boys… if there are any boys)
The top half of the heart is a little trickier. This time, I started with my knife in the center of the cake and created this little island.
Add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup frosting and then put one layer on top. You want two separate two layer cakes at this point.
For the red velvet cake, I just ran my fork through it to break it up. Then I added about a cup of frosting and combined well.
Tiger CAKE with a Surprise Inside!
FAQ
How do you put a shape in a cake?
How do you put zebra stripes on a cake?
How to decorate a cake without piping?
What are some ideas for surprise inside cake designs?
Scan our ideas for Surprise Inside Cake Designs: 1. Pancake Muffins What a great way to make an on-the-go version of a pancake breakfast!
How do you assemble a cake?
To assemble cake: Place 1 uncut cake layer on cake stand or serving platter; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with 1 layer with center removed; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. Top with second layer with center removed; spread 1/3 cup frosting on top. In small bowl, mix chocolate candies and sprinkles. Fill cake with candies and candy sprinkles.
How to make a cake with different colors?
You can use your favorite flavors such as white cake, yellow cake, lemon, red velvet, chocolate etc. Just make sure you have enough of a contrast between the two colors. Start by making the batter for the inside cake, and then baking it in a loaf pan following the package directions. Let it cool completely and then slice it into 1-inch pieces.
How do you icing a cake?
Place it flat over the top of the ‘channel’ cake and flip it over. Then gently place it on the bottom cake. Add some more frosting and do a rough crumb coat over the whole cake. And here is our thin layer of icing for the crumb coat. Put this in the fridge about at least a half hour, or as long as overnight. Now.