Bluey Birthday Cake

4.84 from 6 ratings

This Bluey birthday cake is made with tender funfetti cake layers and decorated with homemade buttercream to look just like Bluey!

Prep Time1

Cook Time35

Additional Time2

Total Time3 35

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 822kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Funfetti Cake Layers

3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
3 cups granulated sugar 600g
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 10g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 cup carton egg whites or 7 large egg whites, room temperature 235g
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature 360g
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 28g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
1 1/2 tsp almond extract - optional 6g
1/2 cup rainbow jimmies or long strand sprinkles 85g

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 678g
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
10 cups powdered sugar 1250g
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 120g

Cake Decorating Rice Krispie Treats

1 cup regular or mini marshmallows - mini work best 50g
1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal 40g!

Bluey Cake Decorations

4, 7- inch Cake Pans or 4, 6-inch Cake Pans
Spinning Cake Stand
10- inch Cake Board or Flat Plate
Offset Spatula
Acetate Sheet - cut down into a small piece with scissors
Yellow, Brown, Blue, and Black Gel food Coloring
4 Large, Round Piping Tips like a Wilton 1A
2 Medium, Round Piping Tips like a Wilton 10
3 Small Piping Bags
3 Large Piping Bags
5 small bamboo skewers or toothpicks for the ears and snout

Instructions

Funfetti Cake Layers

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line four 7-inch or 6-inch round pans with parchment rounds and grease with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use this recipe to make 3, 8-inch cake layers. If you don't have that many cake pans, the batter can sit at room temperature for a few hours. Bake as many layers at a time as you can at a time.
Mix 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until fully combined.
Mix in 1 cup of room temperature, unsalted butter slowly into the dry ingredients on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain and the mixture looks like moist sand.
Pour in 1 cup of egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk in two installments, on a low speed.
Add in 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional) and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. If you want to color these cake layers, add in the gel food coloring during this step.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat on a medium speed for about a minute to make sure everything is properly mixed together. This also helps lighten the texture of the cake layers a bit.
Fold 1/2 cup of sprinkles into the cake batter using a rubber spatula and mix until they're evenly distributed.
Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 34-37 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. If you use 6-inch cake pans, they might take a couple of minutes longer to bake. Let the pans cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
Place the cake pans into the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
These layers bake up pretty flat, so leveling them is optional! If you want to level them, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake layer. If you make these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.
Beat 3 cups of unsalted butter on medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
Mix in 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp fine salt on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 10 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream halfway through to make the frosting easier to mix.
Continue to mix on a low speed for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached.
If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).
Cover the buttercream flush with plastic wrap to prevent crusting, then set aside.

Stacking the Cake Layers

Stack and frost the cake layers on a 10-inch greaseproof cake board or flat plate using a dab of frosting to help keep the first cake layer in place. Place the cake layers a bit off-center so that you have room to add Bluey's legs and feet.
Then spread an even layer of buttercream between each cake layer with an offset spatula. If desired, add some sprinkles on top of the frosting for a bit of texture. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
Once all the cake layers are stacked, spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake. Smooth using a bench scraper and/or large offset spatula, then chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

Coloring the Buttercream

While the cake chills, color the buttercream. It's going to sound crazy, but all the frosting can be colored in one, medium-sized bowl. We start with the lightest colors and work our way to the darkest.
Place 1/2 cup of uncolored buttercream into a small piping bag fit with a large round tip (like a Wilton 1A) or cut opening about 1/2-inch wide and set aside.
Color 3/4 cup of buttercream tan with yellow and brown gel food coloring to make Bluey's snout and inner ears. Add the coloring gradually in small drops to make sure you get the right shade. You can always add more, but you can't take it back once it's mixed in! Place the tan buttercream in a small piping bag fit with a medium piping tip (like a Wilton 10) or cut an opening about 1 cm wide and set aside.
Color 1 cup of buttercream light blue using a small drop of blue gel food coloring to make Bluey's tummy, paws, and eyebrows. Place in a large piping bag fit with a large round tip (like a Wilton 1A) or cut an opening about 1/2-inch wide and set aside.
Color 2 cups of buttercream medium blue using blue gel food coloring to make Bluey's fur. Place in a large piping bag fit with a large round tip (like a Wilton 1A) or cut an opening about 1/2-inch wide and set aside.
Color 2 cups of buttercream navy blue with blue gel food coloring plus a tiny bit of black gel food coloring. Place in a large piping bag fit with a large round piping tip (like a Wilton 1A) and set aside.
Color 1/3 cup of frosting using black gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag fit with a medium piping tip (like a Wilton 10) or cut an opening about 1 cm wide and set aside.
If you have any remaining buttercream, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent it from crusting, then set aside. It's nice to have some leftover frosting in case any of the colors don't turn out quite right!

Cake Decorating Rice Krispies

Next, make the rice krispie snout and ears. Place 1 cup of marshmallows in a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at full power.
Stir then heat in 15-second intervals (stirring between) until the marshmallows look soft and are melted.
Pour in 1 1/2 cups of rice krispies or puffed rice cereal and stir until the cereal is fully coated in melted marshmallows.
Grease your hands with cooking spray then create two triangles (about 3 inches tall, 2.5 inches wide, and 1/2-inch thick) and a small, slightly oval snout (2 inches long and about 3/4 of an inch thick). Those are the sizes I used on a 7-inch cake, but you might want to make them a tiny bit smaller if you make a 6-inch cake. Hold them up against the crumb-coated cake to make sure the size looks right.
I recommend firmly pressing the rice krispies together to compact them into a firm shape. This will make them easier to frost.
Press two small bamboo skewers or toothpicks into the bottom of the ears to help secure them on the cake. I also recommend pressing a toothpick into the back of the snout, to prevent it from sliding down the cake once it's frosted. Set aside.

Decorating This Bluey Cake

Then it's time to finally decorate the cake! Before we start frosting it, use a toothpick or scribe to outline Bluey's eyes, snout, and fur patches.
Pipe and smooth medium blue buttercream around the bottom half of the cake and add a thick stripe between the eyes (like in the photos above).
Next, cover the upper half of the cake with navy blue buttercream. I find using a tapered offset spatula and a small piece of acetate sheet makes it easier to smooth the frosting.
Then press the rice krispie ears into place on top of the cake. Cover the front of the rice krispies with a thin layer of tan buttercream, then pipe navy blue buttercream around the sides and back of the ears. Smooth with an acetate sheet or offset spatula.
Pipe three spots on Bluey's back with navy blue buttercream, then use the medium blue and navy blue buttercream to add Bluey's tail.
Use the light blue frosting to pipe a shallow semi-circle at the base of the front of the cake to be Bluey's tummy. It should be about as wide as Bluey's eyes.
If you've covered where the eyes will go, gently retrace the shape with a toothpick. Then use the white buttercream to pipe on Bluey's eyes. Smooth with an offset spatula. Next, pipe on Bluey's pupils with black buttercream.
Then gently press the rice krispie snout into place. Cover it with tan buttercream and smooth with a piece of acetate sheet. Trace the shape of the nose with a toothpick, then pipe a black triangle of frosting at the top of the snout, and use a toothpick to carve a little smile on the snout.
The last step is to use the medium blue frosting to add on Bluey's arms and legs, and the light blue frosting to add her paws and eyebrows. I also carved some lines in the paws with a toothpick to give Bluey toes.
And voila! Several hours later, you have an adorable Bluey birthday cake :)

Video

Notes

Note: This recipe can be made with a stand mixer or hand mixer. I like to use the paddle attachment when making the batter, but you can also use a whisk attachment or a large bowl and hand mixer.

How Many People Does This Cake Feed?

If you make this cake with 4, 7-inch cake layers or 4, 6-inch cake layers, it will feed about 24 people. For more information on cake sizes and servings, check out my cake portion guide.

Recipe Variations - Making this Cake in Different Sizes

This recipe makes about 10 cups of batter or about 1800 grams. If you plan to use four circular cake pans, add about 450 grams of batter into each pan.

One batch can be used to make 3, 8-inch cake layers, 4, 7-inch cake layers, or 4, 6-inch cake layers. The dimensions turn out best if you make 7- or 6-inch cake layers.

If you want to use a different recipe or make a different flavor of cake, that's totally fine! Just be sure to pick one that makes 4, 6- or 7-inch cake layers.

Tips for Making this Bluey Cake

Properly measure the flour. Either spoon it into the cup measure, then level with a knife or use a kitchen scale.
Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature to help them mix together better.
Chill the cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. This makes them easier to stack and frost.
Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency before frosting your cake. It will help give your cake proper structure and make it easier to decorate.
Use gel food coloring to create vibrant colors of frosting without throwing off the consistency of the frosting.
If possible, use an acetate sheet to smooth the frosting! It's just a thin piece of plastic, but it makes it so much easier to get a nice, smooth look than using just an offset spatula. You can order packs of them on Amazon for $8 and cut them down with scissors into smaller pieces that are easier to handle.

Making this Bluey Cake in Advance and Storage Tips

I highly recommend making the cake layers in advance and freezing them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

You can also make the frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

You can also color the frosting ahead of time. Coloring the frosting takes a surprisingly long amount of time (it's hard to get the shades just right!).

Just keep in mind that the colors will get slightly deeper over time, so keep that in mind as you color them. The frosting can be stored in the piping bags in the fridge. When you're ready to use them, pull them out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter for a few hours until they come to room temperature.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

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