Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Okay, it is just about 15 minutes until Saturday here, but I’m still going to call this a Friday blog -:0) — Let’s celebrate by making a zebra cake!
In my last video tutorial, I demonstrated how to decorate a cake with zebra stripes–a very fun look for your safari, fashion or just plain funky themed cakes! Well, today I’ll show you how to continue the theme to the inside of the cake.
By the way, I did not invent the zebra cake. I’m not sure who did–but if you google zebra cakes, you’ll see all kinds of recipes that point to basically the same outcome–very cool looking slices :0) –You’ll see that part in just a second.
First, let’s talk batter– You’ll most often see chocolate and white zebra cakes (although it would be fun to try a hot pink and white zebra cake sometime!) –
We went the boxed cake route and bought a box of Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake, and a box of Duncan Hines French Vanilla. We chose these because they don’t 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 made slight changes to the box directions:
French Vanilla Cake– We used 1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons Water rather than the 1 cup that it calls for.
Devil’s Food- We used the box directions, no changes
That’s it!
(*** As a side note, 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 approx 3 tablespoons or so of dutch processed cocoa powder into one of your bowls of batter to create chocolate batter.
Let’s get started!
Two bowls of batter….
We started by dropping 1/4 cup of vanilla batter into the middle of our 8″ pan. It will spread a little bit. Then…
Measure out a 1/4 cup of chocolate batter and pour it in the center of your vanilla batter.
Repeat this process, continuing with 1/4 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 out a little bit.
Continue the process until your pans are approx 2/3 full. (We had a couple of cups leftover, which we used to make extra cake layers for another time.)
Look how pretty!…
Ready for the oven!
Well…here’s 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). I’m 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 it’s wearing a snuggly buttercream sweater?! :0)
Okay, back on topic again….. it’s time to cut the cake!!! (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!
Hooray! Another tutorial is complete, and I hope that you enjoyed this one! It’s always nice to have a hidden surprise within the cake— if you haven’t tried this method already, write it on your cake “bucket list” –it’s fun–and looks much more complicated than it is, which I love! Have a great weekend!
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OMG it came out I thought I was going to cry lol I’m so sick of looking at cake now!! I just added a little bit more water to the white so it wasn’t so thick:) When I was pouring the batter in the pan it looked how all my others have so I wasn’t to excited. I did pour with bags it was a mess, but hey it worked!!! Thank you so much for your blog like I said your the only person who I have seen share this and it actually looks like zebra print:) the others have thin lines and look like marble. I really wish I could post a picture!!! If you have a e-mail I would love to share with you!!!
Yay, Bethany, I’m happy for you!! You can send us a picture at info@mycakeschool.com. We would love to see it! Now you will feel confident making it for your daughters birthday.
Got same brand as recommended but devils food says add 1 cup of water, not 1 1/3. How much water should I use?
Hi Julie, Since we posted the Zebra Cake, Duncan Hines as well as the other leading brands have reformulated their cake mix and also have less cake mix in the box. I would go with the amount of water stated on the box (1 cup), unless it seems too thick. Bethany Burk posted above you that she added just a bit more water to the white cake mix, and she had success with that.
Let us know how it goes.
fiquei deslumbrada, maravilhoso!
Hi – I just made this cake and so far it looks great; I just can’t wait to cut it tonight! I wish I had seen the comments on the amount of water since it became a bit of a science project. I also used the white cake and I agree that the exact amount of water for Duncan Hines should be perfect for the chocolate but a tad bit more for the white worked great. I am glad I found this site, the easy to follow photos made me realize that the batter was too thick at first so I adjusted quickly. Thanks for such a great idea!
Made this for my niece’s 6th birthday. Zebra cake with hot pink frosting. It turned out GREAT! Thank you for this site!
Oh em gee. Boy am I flustered! My cake was a disaster! I did strawberry and French vanilla and it was super crumbly! Really really crumbly! I used strawberry, because I don’t particularly like chocolate. I also used Betty Crocker instead….
Update: from October 15th….I know I’m late but just had to say that the cake turned out beautifully. I was beside myself as it was spilling over the side but that was my fault from over filling the pan. My daughter loved her cake and can’t wait for us to make another. Thank you for the tutorial. This made her cake something to remember!
That’s wonderful, thanks for letting us know!!
Krysten, I am so happy to hear that!! I’m glad that you could make something special (and so much fun) for your daughter! Thanks for the update!
I am making this Friday for my daughters Bday party and need to know what size of cake pans you need to use as well as if you can add a touch of black Wilton icing color to the brown cake mix to make the stripes darker?
Need ideas and help asap as I will only get one chance at this due to time constraints. Thanks!
Hi Saby, we used 8 inch pans but you an adjust as needed. There’s no harm in adding coloring gel to the batter. It would take a good amount of gel to achieve black…but if you are going for a black/brown shade, that would be fine! (You can always get an idea by putting a drop of black into a spoonful of batter.) –
Good luck!
Hello! Would you do the same thing for cupcakes, or do you have another trick for that? Thanks!
Thank you Melissa, I will use the 8 inch pans then and give adding a little black to the batter and see if that helps to darken it up a bit. I am excited about trying this. Oh, if you have some batter left how full are you filling the pans? half full? Wonder if I used bigger pans if I could use all the batter without it overflowing.
Hi Saby, we filled our pans about 2/3′s full. I’m sorry, I can’t remember how much batter we had left over.
I don’t know what I did wrong but both layers fell and crumbled apart especially when I went to put icing on them. So disappointing
Hi Danielle–I’m sorry that you had this problem! Could you tell if the pattern was right? If the only issue here was the crumbling, it could simply be due to the softness of the cake. If your icing was very thick or a stiff consistency, that call also tear your cake. You want it to be soft enough to easily glide on.
I almost always wrap my cake layers in plastic wrap and then foil while they are still ever so slightly warm. Then, I frost them with a crumb coat (very thin coat) when they are partially frozen…and then allow the cake to settle and reach room temp before applying the final coat. Partially frozen layers are much stronger & less likely to crumble.
Don’t give up! I think you’ll have better luck next time!
It looked like the design was right just started crumbling when I tried to crumb coat. I will try wrapping next time and see how that works
Hi! I wanted to know also if you can do this with cupcakes? How would it differ?
Followed the directions and my family was amazed. The cake was sooidtt
I am making this for my daughters 12th birthday party on sunday! should i make it that morning or should i make it tomorrow??
I’m having a gender reveal party for my sister this weekend, and due to time contraints, I will have to have the cake already made before we even find out (we’re releasing ballons for the actual reveal) and I wonder if I could do pink and blue stripes? or would they mix and make an ugly shade of something else?
I’m sorry! I see that we missed some comments–for some reason we weren’t getting our usual e-mail notifications. Let’s see… Sheena, I would be a little worried about the pink and blue although it may be fine. If you tried it, let us know how it worked!
@Christine- I’m sure the cake turned out great–I have no problems with making cakes a day before–or even weeks before if wrapped tightly and frozen!
great post. it is very helpful for people. i will tell my other friend to visit that site for there help. thanks for the nice article.
I have a cake order for a 2 tiered cake (top tier is 8″ and bottom is 10″) and they want the zebra print on the inside. How many cake boxes do you think I will need for each tier? And instead of devils food cake can i use regular chocolate cake? would I make cupcakes the same way?
Thanks ahead of time
Hi Ghada, You will need 1 box of chocolate ( regular chocolate flavor is fine) and 1 box of vanilla for a two layer 8″ tier. You will need 2 boxes of chocolate and 2 boxes of vanilla for your 10″ tier. Yes, you can make cupcakes with the same method, but know that it is a very slow process for cupcakes.
Hi. I made this cake for my daughter’s 14th birthday yesterday, but I did hotpink and black and it turned out awesome I was so excited. I got so many compliments on it from my friends on facebook. Thanks so much for sharing your instructions.
Love it and it came out so perfect very happy and thank u for the great idea. Also I think I would like to try this again with red velvet and white anyways thank a million I just love baking and decorating can’t wait for my next project!!!!
Sarah, thanks for letting us know everything turned out great.
That looks amazing, thanks for sharing.
Would it be possible to make pink and green or pink and black if so how? I don’t really bake that many cakes they are always store bought.
Hi Mary, before putting your cake batter into the cake pans, you would add pink or green food coloring to your white cake batter until you achieve the sh color you like. I have never tinted cake batter black but I would start with a dark chocolate cake batter and add black food coloring. I think it might be difficult to achieve a black you are happy with without using quite a lot of food color.
Going to try this one for the youngests birthday. Thanks for sharing. I thought it was waaaaay more of a process.
This is fantastic. I want to do this for my nieces 5th birthday in march. I was also wondering if you could do this with cupcakes as well?
This is such an adorable idea! I was wondering if the zebra design would still work in a regular 9×13 rectangular pan?
I have been making this cake for years. Ive seen several people ask if this can be done in cupcakes, with no answers. So, I wanted to answer on that…YES, you can. Instead of 1/4 cup, use 1 T batter at a time. It will be time consuming, but they do turn out great. These make a fun cake with a nice surprise for the guests when you cut into it.
Thank you for this recipe my daughter who is turning 20 in a couple of weeks wants a zebra cake – her room is zebra print accessories with hot pink so I plan to make a hot pink frosting – Ill let you know how it all turns out – thanks again – ps glad its Duncan Hines – only cake mix I like to buy!
This is so cute! Does it have the same effect in a square cake pan?
the cake is so cutie that i made
Megan, you can do this in a square pan, the corners won’t show the stripes as well as round.
Hannha, I’m glad your cake turned out great!
Making this Wednesday for a cake I’m working on next week! Can’t wait for the results!
Would love to try this with a strawberry cake mix, Pillsbury is the only brand available in our area in the strawberry flavor, can adjustments be made to make this work. Love the idea. Thank you!
Hi Karla, since we made this blog entry Pillsbury and the other major brand cake mixes have decreased the amount of product in their package to 15.25 ounces. They have also changed their formulation and we think the batter is even thicker. However, I think you can still use this since that is all you have available. I would increase the water and additional 1/4 cup maybe even more, until it seems to spread out in the pan……you may need to giggle the pan a bit to help it spread. It should turn out great, good luck!
I made this cake last night. My frosting needs practice, but the cake is adorable.
You said you wrap the cake in plastic wrap and then foil. How long do you freeze the cake to making frosting it easier? (We will be making this a day prior to a birthday.)
This is so cute! Can I use 9″ cake pans and just make them a bit thinner? I wanted to share that I got mix yesterday and Duncan Hines still has some 18oz mixes, they’re called select. And meijer store brand is also still the old size, calling for more water. Hoping they will work!
Hi Lisa, the freezing of cake layers is a step that is optional. We think it makes the cake less fragile when applying the crumb coat. You could freeze for a short time 1 1/2 to 2 hours or overnight if making the layers in advance. We do a crumb coat with the cake partially frozen. However, cake must be at room temperature when adding the final coat of frosting if you are using a crusting buttercream or it will take it forever to crust.
Hi Katie, yes, 9″ pans will be fine. That is good to know about the Duncan Hines 18oz. mixes, I’m going to look for it. Thanks for posting.
I attempted this tonight, BEFORE reading your blog. My batter was way too thick, and I did cupcakes. I am so glad I found this blog, and now will be adding more water to the batter. Is there a brand of cake mix you would recommend?
Hi Steph, we used Duncan Hines because it does not have pudding in the mix
Thank you so much for this tutorial. My daughter made this cake for me for my birthday! I had seen one on Pinterest without directions so I was thrilled to find you. The cake was gorgeous and everyone oohed and ahhed especially the grandkids. We used a hot pink icing, now I am going to investigate your blog and see what else I can make, or get my daughter to make.
how would u do this with a 1/2 sheet square pan. thanks
Hi Mary Jo, we have not made this in a square pan, but if I try it in this shape I think I would make oval shape circles. I think you would get good coverage of stripes, the corners just would not have any.
Will it work for cupcakes?
I love this and was thinking about doing it for my daughter’s second birthday. I’m wondering if I can do this with the giant cupcake pan?
What wld u recommend for doing this with cupcakes?? Maybe a tbsp??? Thanks in advance
Hi!!! I was wandering if you have a post on how to do that piping technique? it looks beautiful and professional. Making the cake for this weekend… I can hardly wait!!!
Laura, this is the reverse shell border that was turned vertically. There is a tutorial if you are a member of the site. If you are not a member, I think you could google reverse shell border and find instructions. Good luck with your cake.
So excited, i just made this in a topsy turvy pan for a birthday party and it looks fabulous so far!! The zebra print looks like it will be perfect, I did dye the chocolate cake black so it will match the cake. Will send you a photo when completed and cut for full effect. Thanks for the great easy ideas!!!
I’m definately adding this to my bucket list
Im excited to try this. I like to add pudding and sour cream to my cakes to make them more moist. Will it be too think?
Hi Bri, yes, I think your batter will be a little to thick.
I am making a zebra print cake for my birthday this year, I’m totally going to try this! It looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing the idea
My white cake (Duncan Heinz) was perfect but my chocolate cake (No Name -Loblaws) was way too thin. I’ll ice it and it still will be a wonderful birthday cake for my son!
that’s it?! thank you so much for sharing!
This is perfect!! I have a folder where I keep my baking recipes, and I still don’t have one for “Z”. Now I do, this looks fantastic!
Hi! Saw your tutorial and would love to try this out. Was wondering if I wanted to try it out on cupcakes, how much of each batter must I put in the cupcake liners?
will this work for a 12x 18x 3 sheet pan
Hi Victor, it will not work as well. You won’t get the effect you want in the corners of your pan.
Hi Anita, I would use 1 Tablespoon at a time for cupcakes……it will be a slow process
My co worker is getting married in August and hasn’t found a cake person yet. I think I am going to surprise her and try this. her colors are hot pink and black. And it is a western theme wedding.
This cake looks amazing and so EASY to make and very posh looking. I shared it on my Facebook page so I hope you don’t mind as I”m sure my fans will love to make this.
link to facebook.com
Hello, i just wanted to know if this would work if i used a strawberry shortcake recipe (so sponge cake) that im making from scratch, and split the batter in half and used food colouring to make half of it hot pink? and also would it still work if i had two layers that were separated by strawberries and cream?
I was wondering how you could do this same concept but with Cheeta print inside the cake? Thanks! Love this Site!
I was wondering if this recipe would work well in a star shaped pan. The pan itself calls for 1 two layer cake.
Hi Sam, I’m sorry but I think you would not get the zebra stripe effect you are looking for with a star shaped pan.
Making this tomorrow for my daughters 10th birthday. I cant wait to cut into it, I’m not telling her I am making this a zebra print. Thank you so much for posting the idea and steps.
I’m planning on doing one of these for my daughter’s 1st Birthday! I’m a little nervous cause I always mess stuff like this up, but it seems simple enough. It’s absolutely adorable! Everything has been zebra since she was born (she was even a zebra for Halloween) so this cake is PERFECT! Thanks for the easy tutorial!
can you make it in a heart pan?
Hi Emily, we have not tried it in a heart shaped pan. It probably would not be a perfect zebra pattern, but I think you could get some zebra effect.
My cakes are in the oven now for my daughter’s 10th birthday tomorrow. I used white cake mix and red velvet. Both Duncan Hines. Fingers crossed!!
Success!!! Making for my daughters 1st birthday and made a mock one last night and it came out perfect! So excited for her party now!!
I will be making this for my daughter’s bday and was wondering if you guys used store bought frosting or made the buttercream. For the piping, did you make the consistency of the frosting different?
@Cindy–I’m so glad to hear it!! She will love it!
@Maria– We use just a standard homemade crusting buttercream. If you want to use store bought frosting, you may need to thicken it with powdered sugar to achieve a good piping consistency. I would avoid whipped store bought frostings–they are harder to thicken up.
Hi Tarryn, since you do not have boxed cake mixes available in South Africa you could use the Classic White Cake and the Classic Chocolate Cake recipes from the recipe section. It sounds as though the batter was too thin the first time you made the cake ( not sure which recipe you used). The cake batter can be the same consistency for the chocolate and the white. Hope this will turn out great for you.