Ready to make a cake that’s cool as ice? Whether you’re planning a birthday party, a winter-themed gathering, or just want to add some adorable charm to your dessert table, this easy penguin cake is sure to be a hit. With its cute, playful design and delicious flavors, this cake will impress both kids and adults alike.
Follow my step-by-step guide to create your own frosty friend, and get ready to have a blast in the kitchen! Once you taste it, you’ll come back for another slice until leave the party so full you’re waddling like a penguin…
How To Make An Easy Penguin Cake
Step 1) Prep
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line your cake pan with parchment paper. Either use a box of chocolate cake mix according to the package instructions then add black food coloring or follow the steps below.
Step 2) Bake
In a large bowl, sift together ¾ cups of all-purpose flour, ¾ cup of granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons of black dark chocolate cocoa powder, ¾ tsp of baking powder, 3/4 tsp of baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 large eggs, 2 tbs of vegetable oil, 6 tbs of buttermilk, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until blended.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Gradually introduce the hot water into the mixture while stirring. The batter will have a thin consistency, but that’s perfectly fine. Pour the batter into one 9 inch cake pan.
Bake your cakes at 350°F (180°C) for 25-32 minutes.
Step 3) Make Frosting
You’re going to need a small amount of white and orange frosting for this penguin cake, which you’ll make first. Then you’ll add cocoa powder to the rest of your frosting to turn it black.
Mix 2 cups of room temperature unsalted butter, 5 cups of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 tsp of vanilla and ⅓ cup of milk or heavy cream in a large mixing bowl.
Mix your butter first, to soften it and then add the other ingredients. Blend them with a stand mixer or hand mixer on a low speed until the ingredients start incorporating then switch to a high speed. If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If your frosting is too hard and clumped, try adding more milk.
Remove a quarter cup of this white frosting from the large mixing bowl and set it aside in a small bowl.
To make black frosting without food coloring, use dark black cocoa powder. Add ⅔ cup of black cocoa powder to your white frosting and mix it thoroughly.
Step 4) Cool:
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you’re making your cake in advance, once it’s room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge or freezer.
Step 5) Cut & Decorate Cake
Stack Cakes
Take your cooled 9 inch round cake and cut it in half with a large sharp knife to give you two semi-circles. Add frosting to one semi-circle and stack the second on top so you have a two-layer cake.
Add a layer of frosting to the flat edge of the double-layer cake to make it sturdy and then stand it on that edge on top of a cake board or flat serving plate.
Crumb Coat
Frost the entire outside of the cake with a crumb coat of black frosting and an offset spatula. This layer traps in any crumbs and will give you a smoother, more even surface to decorate on. I skipped the crumb coat and my cake turned out fine, but if you’re a beginner it may be helpful.
Outline The Details
Use a toothpick to score the face of the penguin cake so you know which areas you will be frosting with black and white. Lightly draw in a large rounded ‘m’ shape onto the front of the cake.
Decorate with Black Frosting
Use your #1M large open star frosting tip and a piping bag of black frosting to cover the back of the cake and the narrow sides as well as the top of the cake.
Decorate With White Frosting
Use your #21 small open star piping tip and a piping bag of white icing to outline the details on the front of the cake you scored with the toothpick so you don’t accidentally cover them. Once you’ve outlined the large ‘m’ shape in white buttercream frosting, fill it in completely with white stars.
Final Touches
Finish adding black frosting to the front of the penguin’s cake with your large open star tip. Take a spoonful of your remaining white frosting and color it orange with food coloring. Put it in a piping bag and cut off a very small part of the piping bag tip. To make the penguin’s beak, use this orange frosting to pipe small circles of orange frosting into an orange triangle in the middle of the bottom edge of the penguin’s face.
To make the penguin’s eyes, put a spoonful of your remaining black frosting in a piping bag and cut the very tip off the piping bag, draw two curved lines on the penguin’s face to make the eyes.
Penguin Cake Tips & Tricks
Cake Crumb Coating Tips
If you’re having issues getting a smooth crumb coat on your cake, it could be the consistency of your frosting. Your frosting should be not too thick and not too thin. To get it just right, add a small amount of milk or cream to your frosting if it’s too thick, or a bit of powdered sugar if it’s too thin. Aim for a spreadable but not runny texture.
Before you start the crumb coat, ensure your cake is properly chilled. This makes the cake firmer, reducing the likelihood of crumbs mixing with the frosting.
I find it helpful to use a piping bag for the crumb coat. This allows for better control and more even distribution of the frosting. Once you have a lumpy layer of frosting on your cake, use an offset cake spatula to smooth it out. Work from the center toward the edges to keep the crumbs locked in.
Tips For Piping Stars
Put a small amount of frosting in your piping bag at a time. You can refill the same piping bag with more frosting as you go. The heat from your hand will warm up your frosting as you’re making stars.
If you find that as you’re frosting the penguin cake, the frosting gets too runny and warm, it won’t hold its shape. Take a break and put the piping bag in the fridge for a couple of minutes then start again.
If your piping bag is really hard to squeeze, or the stars aren’t sticking well to your cake, the frosting is probably too thick or too cold. Warm up the piping bag with your hands and try again, or put the frosting back in your bowl, mix it with more milk and try again.
Vanilla Or Chocolate Cake?
For this penguin birthday cake you could technically use a white cake if you prefer, as long as you have a thick layer of frosting that covers your entire cake; the outside should still be black. You can also use a box of chocolate cake mix instead of this recipe from scratch. It won’t affect the end result.
Final Thoughts On Making an Easy Penguin Cake
If you follow my simple steps, you’ll have your own cute penguin cake with a rich chocolate flavor whipped up in no time. I put together this adorable penguin cake for a special birthday party. It’s also a wonderful cake for Christmas parties, winter get-togethers and special occasions for kids who love animals.
Whatever your reason is for making this cake, it’s going to be a brrrrrr-illiant addition to your dessert table and it’s sure to make your guests smile!
Easy DIY Penguin Cake
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- small bowls
- 1M open star piping tip
- 21 small star piping tip
- piping bags
- cake board
- spoons
- Parchment paper
- Spatula
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Scissors
- 1 9 Inch Round Cake Pan
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/8 cup 6 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/8 cup 6 tablespoons buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/8 cup 6 tablespoons hot water
Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk more as needed
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Orange food coloring
Instructions
Step 1) Prep
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line your cake pan with parchment paper. Either use a box of chocolate cake mix according to the package instructions then add black food coloring or follow the steps below.
Step 2) Bake
- In a large bowl, sift together ¾ cups of all-purpose flour, ¾ cup of granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons of black dark chocolate cocoa powder, ¾ tsp of baking powder, 3/4 tsp of baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 large eggs, 2 tbs of vegetable oil, 6 tbs of buttermilk, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until blended.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Gradually introduce the hot water into the mixture while stirring. The batter will have a thin consistency, but that’s perfectly fine. Pour the batter into one 9 inch cake pan.
- Bake your cakes at 350°F (180°C) for 25-32 minutes.
Step 3) Make Frosting
- You’re going to need a small amount of white and orange frosting for this penguin cake, which you’ll make first. Then you’ll add cocoa powder to the rest of your frosting to turn it black.
- Mix 2 cups of room temperature unsalted butter, 5 cups of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 tsp of vanilla and ⅓ cup of milk or heavy cream in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix your butter first, to soften it and then add the other ingredients. Blend them with a stand mixer or hand mixer on a low speed until the ingredients start incorporating then switch to a high speed. If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If your frosting is too hard and clumped, try adding more milk.
- Remove a quarter cup of this white frosting from the large mixing bowl and set it aside in a small bowl.
- To make black frosting without food coloring, use dark black cocoa powder. Add ⅔ cup of black cocoa powder to your white frosting and mix it thoroughly.
Step 4) Cool:
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If you’re making your cake in advance, once it’s room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge or freezer.
Step 5) Cut & Decorate Cake
- Stack Cakes
- Take your cooled 9 inch round cake and cut it in half with a large sharp knife to give you two semi-circles. Add frosting to one semi-circle and stack the second on top so you have a two-layer cake.
- Add a layer of frosting to the flat edge of the double-layer cake to make it sturdy and then stand it on that edge on top of a cake board or flat serving plate.
- Crumb Coat
- Frost the entire outside of the cake with a crumb coat of black frosting and an offset spatula. This layer traps in any crumbs and will give you a smoother, more even surface to decorate on. I skipped the crumb coat and my cake turned out fine, but if you’re a beginner it may be helpful.
- Outline The Details
- Use a toothpick to score the face of the penguin cake so you know which areas you will be frosting with black and white. Lightly draw in a large rounded ‘m’ shape onto the front of the cake.
- Decorate with Black Frosting
- Use your #1M large open star frosting tip and a piping bag of black frosting to cover the back of the cake and the narrow sides as well as the top of the cake.
- Decorate With White Frosting
- Use your #21 small open star piping tip and a piping bag of white icing to outline the details on the front of the cake you scored with the toothpick so you don’t accidentally cover them. Once you’ve outlined the large ‘m’ shape in white buttercream frosting, fill it in completely with white stars.
- Final Touches
- Finish adding black frosting to the front of the penguin’s cake with your large open star tip. Take a spoonful of your remaining white frosting and color it orange with food coloring. Put it in a piping bag and cut off a very small part of the piping bag tip. To make the penguin’s beak, use this orange frosting to pipe small circles of orange frosting into an orange triangle in the middle of the bottom edge of the penguin’s face.
- To make the penguin’s eyes, put a spoonful of your remaining black frosting in a piping bag and cut the very tip off the piping bag, draw two curved lines on the penguin’s face to make the eyes.
