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image of a buttercream cocomelon cake made with red velvet cake layers
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4.91 from 11 ratings

Cocomelon Cake

This adorable Cocomelon cake is made with buttercream and is the perfect way to celebrate! It's made with red velvet cake layers and colorful buttercream frosting.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20
Calories: 611kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour 300g
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 10g
  • 1 tsp baking soda 6g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 350g
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature 112g
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature 300g
  • 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 145g
  • Squirt of red gel food coloring
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
  • 1 tsp white vinegar 4g

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Additional Tools / Decorations

Instructions

Red Velvet Cake Layers

  • Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease three 6-inch cake pans with homemade cake release or non-stick baking spray and parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream together the butter and granulated sugar. Mix on a medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  • Mix in the eggs on a medium speed until fully incorporated.
  • Add in the buttermilk, oil, red gel food coloring, vanilla extract, and white vinegar. Mix on a low speed until combined. The mixture might look broken at this stage, but I promise it will come together once we add in the dry ingredients.
  • Slowly mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients at a low speed in two installments. Mix until just combined, and you can no longer see any visible streaks of cake flour.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bang the pans on your counter a few times to release any air bubbles that might be trapped in the batter. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  • Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes, then run a small offset spatula around the perimeter. Carefully flip the layers out of their pans and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Level two of the cake layers with a serrated knife once they're fully cooled. Trim the bottom cake layer to give the cake a somewhat rounded shape (see pictures above).
  • If you're making these cake layers in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the vanilla and salt, and beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
  • Slowly mix in the powdered sugar and heavy cream on a low speed. Place a kitchen towel over your mixer to prevent powdered sugar clouds from coating your kitchen. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  • If the frosting is too thick, add additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
  • Once the frosting reaches the desired consistency, place 1/3 cup of uncolored frosting in a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like a Wilton 12, and set aside.
  • Place 1/4 cup of frosting in a separate bowl and color it with black gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like a Wilton 12, and set aside.
  • Place 1/3 cup of frosting in a separate bowl and color it with red gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like a Wilton 12, and set aside.
  • Place 3/4 cup of frosting in a separate bowl and color a salmon pink with a tiny drop of red and orange gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag fitted with a large round tip, like a Wilton 2A, and set aside.
  • Place 3/4 cup of frosting in a separate bowl and color it hot pink with a generous squirt of pink gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag and cut a round opening at the base of the bag that is about 1 inch wide.
  • Place 3/4 cup of frosting in a separate bowl and color a dark shade of green with leaf green gel food coloring and a tiny drop of black gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag fitted with a flat piping tip, like a Wilton 2B, and set aside.
  • Leave the remaining buttercream uncolored and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming, and set it aside.

Decorating this Cocomelon Cake

  • Stack and frost the cake layers on a greaseproof cake board. Use a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Spread an even layer of the uncolored frosting between each cake layer.
  • Add a thin coat of white frosting around the cake that fully covers the cake layers. Smooth using an offset spatula and/or bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
  • Color the remaining buttercream bright green using electric green gel food coloring (or green and yellow gel food coloring).
  • Remove the cake from the fridge or freezer and smooth a thick layer of bright green buttercream around the cake. Use an acetate sheet or a small offset spatula to smooth the frosting.
  • Chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) one more time until the frosting is completely firm to the touch.
  • Remove the cake from the fridge or freezer. Use a toothpick or scribe to lightly trace where you want to pipe the face and the stripes. Pipe dark green buttercream stripes up the side of the cake. I recommend starting at the back of the cake. It takes a couple stripes to get the hang of it, and that way your best stripes will be in the front!
  • Then add the cute little face using the salmon, white, red, and black buttercream. Start by piping and smoothing a pink rectangle on the front of the cake. Next, pipe the white outline around it.
  • Use the black frosting to pipe on the eyes, nose, and mouth. Use the white buttercream to add the accents, then pipe on the little red cheeks.
  • Next, pipe and smooth a mound of hot pink buttercream on top of the cake.
  • Use the red and black buttercream to pipe a ladybug on the upper left corner of the cake.
  • Mix a drop of purple gel food coloring with a 1/2 tsp of clear extract (like lemon or almond) and paint half of the top half of each wooden skewer.
  • Roll the
    blue fondant into two small balls and place them on top of the wooden skewers. Press the wooden skewers into place on top of the cake and enjoy!

Video

Notes

My Tips for Making the Best Cocomelon Cake

  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Properly measure the cake flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Use gel food coloring to create brightly colored frosting. It works best because it doesn't throw off the consistency of the frosting or give it a bitter taste.
  • Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. Make sure each pan has the same amount of batter, which will make your cake layers bake to the same height and bake more evenly
  • Level the room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
  • Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to trim, stack, and frost them!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 239mg | Sugar: 60g