Incredible Edible Animal Cakes To Make Life A Little Sweeter

BIRTHDAY CAKE RECIPES FOR
ANIMAL-INSPIRED CAKE IDEAS

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Blue Doggy Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Blue, The Puppy Cake." This is one of their animal cakes that would be perfect for kids birthday parties relating to puppies, the color blue, or first birthday parties.

Ingredients

• 1 baked 9-inch round cake (any flavor)
• 8 baked cupcakes
• 4 cups white frosting
• Blue food coloring
• Red food coloring
• 2-3 tubes blue gel icing
• Two marshmallows
• Junior Mints

Instructions

Color 3/4 of the frosting with blue food coloring and 1/4 of the frosting with red food coloring.

To shape Blue's face, cut out two half circles on both sides of the "top" of the cake round. for her tongue, cut out a triangle shape in the middle of the "bottom" of the cake.

For each ear, line up three cupcakes at the top of both sides of her head. Cut one cupcake in half and, on the last cupcake, use a toothpick to connect one half on each side. Frost the ears and head with blue frosting.

For the tongue, cut the last cupcake into a triangle and frost with red food coloring. Then position it inside the cakes' triangle.

Draw her nose and spots with the blue gel icing.

For eyes, place two marshmallows on her face. With a dab of frosting, glue a Junior Mint toward the bottom and center of each marshmallow.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Cow Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Cow Cake." This is the perfect animal cakes recipe for kids birthday party ideas relating to farm animals, western, or cowboy themes.

Ingredients

• 1 baked dome cake (baked in a l-liter bowl, such as Pyrex)
• 1 baked 9" round cake
• 3 baked cupcakes
• 2 to 3 cups white icing
• 1 cup chocolate icing
• 2 malted milk balls (eyes)
• 2 black gumdrops (nose)
• 1/2 red Hi-C Fruit Slice (mouth)
• 1 pink Hi-C Fruit Slice, cut into 4 pieces (ears)
• Black shoestring licorice (hooves and eyelashes)

Instructions

For the basic shape, set a dome cake upside down in the center of a round cake and secure with icing, as shown.

Cut one cupcake in half and place it as shown for the ears, then arrange two more cupcakes as legs.

Frost the cakes and cupcakes with white icing, adding random chocolate icing "spots."

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Crocodile Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Crocodile Cake." Animal cakes in the shape of a cute crocodile are perfect for kids birthday party ideas relating to animals or jungle themes. You'll want to snap this one up.

Ingredients

• 10-inch baked ring or Bundt cake
• 16-ounce can of white frosting
• Green food coloring
• Malted milk balls
• 1 large marshmallow
• Gummy spearmint leaves
• Green candies such as M&M's
• White-yogurt-covered pretzels

Instructions

Tint the can of white frosting with green food coloring and use it to frost the entire cake. Animal Cakes Tip: Mix the coloring and the icing right in the container.

Cut the large marshmallow in half and place the halves on the cake for eyes. Add 2 malted milk balls on the snout for nostrils and 2 more on the marshmallow halves for pupils.

Use a dab of frosting to help them stick. Line gummy spearmint leaves and green M&M's along the body for scales and add spearmint leaf toes to each foot.

Lastly, break the yogurt-covered pretzels into pieces and stick them in the frosting along the front of the cake for teeth. Now your croc is ready to eat--or should we say be eaten. The croc cake serves 10 generously.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Dinosaur Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Dinosaur Cake." Your little cave swellers wil roar with delight when they see this purple dino coming. A dinosaur cake for a kids birthday party relating to Jurassic Park or a general dinosaur theme is the perfect animal cakes choice.

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup light oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1-cup white mixed with 1-cup whole wheat)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

CREAM CHEESE ICING

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tbsp. sweet butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Instructions

While preparing animal cakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

Sprinkle the grated carrots with the lemon juice and stir in the lemon zest - add raisins and walnuts and set aside.

In a mixer or food processor, cream together the sugar and all wet ingredients. Sift together the remaining dry ingredients and gradually add to the creamed mixture, processing or stirring just until smooth. Stir in the carrot mixture until the batter is smooth; pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch. Wait for the cake rounds to cool before removing them from the pans.

Animal Cakes Frosting: In a processor, mixer, or by hand, beat all of the ingredients together until smooth and the shade of purple you desire. Before icing, cut both cooled cake rounds into the appropriate dinosaur shapes as shown in the diagram. Referring to the finished cake above, angle the small pieces to form the dinosaur's mouth and the long slivers to make the tail. Candy corn is ideal for creating the effect of a dinosaur's ridged back, but all sorts of cookies and candies will do the job too. Enjoy!

Cut one cupcake in half and place it as shown for the ears, then arrange two more cupcakes as legs.

Frost the cakes and cupcakes with white icing, adding random chocolate icing "spots."

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Horse Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Horse Cake." Use horse animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to horses, western, and cowboy themes.

Ingredients

• 1 baked 13- x 9- x 2-inch cake
• 3 cups chocolate frosting
• 1 cup white frosting
• Decorations: black shoestring licorice, Life Savers candies, Necco wafer, mini jawbreaker, black jelly bean, marzipan carrot

Instructions

Freeze the animal cakes for 2 to 3 hours, then cut and arrange as shown.

Frost the cake brown, adding a white frosting mane. Braid the licorice for the bridle and reins and connect them with Life Savers candies.

Coil black licorice for the eye and top it with a Necco wafer and a mini jawbreaker. Give the horse a jelly-bean nose to sniff his marzipan carrot treat.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Jungle Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "It's A Jungle Cake." Swing into action and use jungle animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to jungle, Tarzan, zoo, rain forest, or safari themes.

Ingredients

• Frosted 9 x 13-inch cake
• Caramel Cow Tail
• 2 (1 1/2-inch) Tootsie Rolls
• Green Fruit roll Ups
• Green Fruit Streamers
• Banana Runts
• Milk Duds
• Midgees Tootsie Rolls
• Yellow hard candy

Instructions

Tree Trunks: Stretch a caramel Cow Tail so that it is 11 inches long and set it on the left side of the cake for the coconut tree. Place two 1 1/2-inch Tootsie Rolls end-to-end on the right side for the banana tree.

Leaves And Fruit: Cut 3 green Fruit Roll-Ups into 1- by 4-inch pieces. round the ends of 4 pieces to resemble banana leaves, and press a green Fruit Streamers strand atop each. Cut fringes into 6 more pieces for the coconut palm. Use the remaining Fruit Roll-Ups lengths to add a bush at the foot of the coconut tree. "Hang" a cluster of Banana Runts from the banana tree and a few Milk Duds coconuts from the palm.

Monkeys: For each one, a Midgees Tootsie Roll for the torso. Roll pieces of 2 or 3 more Midgees into small balls for the head and ears, and into thin ropes for a tail, arms, and legs. Place a Banana Runt in its hand.

The Sun: Place a yellow hard candy in the upper right corner.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Ladybug Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "L Is For Ladybug Cake." Use ladybug animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to bugs themes.

Ingredients

• 1 baked dome cake (made in a 1 1/2-quart bowl or 6-inch sphere)
• 1 baked cupcake
• 3 cups red frosting
• 12 Junior Mints
• 2 green gumdrops
• Black shoestring licorice

Instructions

Turn the cake and cupcake upside down and frost them with red icing.

Place the mints on the body for spots.

Add the green gumdrop eyes and the licorice antennae, and the ladybug will fly away home.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Panda Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Panda Cake." Use panda animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to a panda bear or 1st birthday party themes.

Ingredients

• 1 baked 8-inch round cake
• 1 baked 9- or 10-inch round cake
• 4 baked cupcakes
• 1 1/2 cups white frosting
• 2 cups dark chocolate frosting
• 1 mint patty (ears)
• Hershey's Mini Kisses (claws)
• Fruit leather (tongue)
• Black shoestring licorice (mouth)
• 2 sour rings and 2 Skittles (eyes)
• White sprinkles

Instructions

1 mint patty (ears), Hershey's Mini Kisses (claws), 1 Junior Mint (nose), fruit leather (tongue), black shoestring licorice (mouth), 2 sour rings and 2 Skittles (eyes), white sprinkles.

Use the 8-inch cake for the panda's head. Trim the edge of the larger cake to create a scooped neckline and fit it snugly against the head, as shown.

Cut 2 cupcakes in half, use 2 halves for ears and 2 for front paws. Use the remaining2 cupcakes for rear paws.

Spread on the frosting, creating light and dark patches of fur. Cut the mint patty in half and place one half in the middle of each ear. Add Mini Kisses for claws. a Junior Mint nose, a fruit leather tongue, a shoestring licorice mouth, and 2 sour rings and Skittles eyes. Top the paws with white sprinkles for added fur.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Pig Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Fat Piggy Cake." Use pig animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to a farm animal theme.

Ingredients

• 1 baked dome cake (baked in a l-liter bowl, such as Pyrex)
• 1 baked 9" round cake
• 4 baked cupcakes
• 2 to 3 cups pink icing
• 1 cup chocolate icing
• 2 malted milk balls (eyes)
• 2 green Hi-C Fruit slices (hooves)
• 1 pink Hi-C Fruit Slice (mouth)
• 2 Jujube candies (nose)
• 2 Juicy Fruit candies (eyes)
• Red shoestring licorice (ears and eyelashes)
• 1 red sour Belt (tail)

Instructions

For the basic shape, set a dome cake upside down in the center of a round cake and secure with icing, as shown.

Cut one cupcake in half and place it as shown for the ears, then arrange two more cupcakes as legs. Add a cupcake snout.

Frost the cakes and cupcakes pink and decorate as shown.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Puppy Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Puppy Cake." You'll do a double take when you see this cake, and then you won't be able to keep your paws off. Use puppy animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to doggies or first birthday party themes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups white frosting
• 2 baked 9-inch round cakes
• 2 baked cupcakes
• Red Fruit by the Foot
• 1 green Necco wafer
• Junior Mints
• Small mint patties
• Black shoestring licorice
• 2 blue M&M's
• 2 gray Necco wafers

Instructions

Frost the cake rounds and the two cupcakes. Wrap the Fruit by the Foot around the top edge of the cake to make the dog's collar.

For the doggie tag, add a green Necco wafer. Place three Junior Mints on the edge of each cupcake paw, one on the top of the cake for the nose and the rest in a random pattern all around the cake. Fill out the spots with a few mint patties, outline the ears and jowls with the shoestring licorice, and add a fruit-leather tongue.

To make a pair of sweet puppy-dog eyes, use a dab of frosting to glue the M&M's to the gray Necco wafers.

Photo courtesy of: FamilyFun

Sheep Cake

Here's the recipe for Family Fun's "Sheep Cake." Use sheep animal cakes with kids birthday party ideas relating to a farm animal or first birthday party themes.

Ingredients

• 1 baked dome cake (baked in a l-liter bowl, such as Pyrex)
• 1 baked 9" round cake
• 3 baked cupcakes
• 2 to 3 cups white icing
• 1 cup chocolate icing
• 3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 Juicy Fruit candies (eyes)
• 1 Nonpareil (nose)
• Red shoestring licorice (mouth)

Instructions

For the basic shape, set a dome cake upside down in the center of a round cake and secure with icing.

Frost the cakes (except for a triangular face area), the outsides of the ears, and the top halves of the hooves with the white icing, then cover with mini marshmallows.

Use a pastry bag (or a plastic bag with one corner cut off) to pipe small dollops of chocolate icing onto the face, bottom halves of the hooves, and centers of the ears. Decorate as shown.



Animal cakes delight kids of all ages and these creative, lovable, little critters are sure to not only don your table, but round out your birthday bash!