Fox Cake

5 from 5 ratings

Learn how to make this adorable fox cake! It's made with tender orange velvet cake layers and decorated with buttercream frosting.

Prep Time20

Cook Time27

Additional Time1

Total Time1 47

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 20

Calories: 607kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Orange 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
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil 120g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
1 tsp white vinegar 4g
2 squirts of orange gel food coloring or 1 Tbsp liquid food coloring

Buttercream Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 452g or 4 sticks
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
7 cups powdered sugar 904g or a 2 lb. bag
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 60g
orange and black gel food coloring or 1 tsp liquid food coloring

Additional Tools / Decorations

3, 7- inch Cake Pans
Spinning Cake Stand
10- inch Cake Board
Small Offset Spatula
3 Small Piping Bags
1 Large Piping Bag
Very Small Round Piping Tip like a Wilton 2
2 Small Round Piping Tips like a Wilton 10
Large Round Piping Tip like a Wilton 1A
Small Acetate Sheet I cut these down into smaller squares with scissors
Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer

Instructions

Orange Velvet Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease three 6-inch or three 7-inch cake pans with homemade cake release or non-stick baking spray and parchment paper (I used 7-inch pans). Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups cake flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment to cream together 1/2 cup of butter and 1 3/4 cups 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 2 large eggs on a medium speed until fully combined.
Add in 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp white vinegar, and 2 squirts of orange food coloring. 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 the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on a medium speed in two additions. Mix until just combined and you can no longer see any visible streaks of cake flour.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the pans from 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 on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Level the cake layers with a serrated knife once they're fully cooled. Place the cake tops in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then set aside. We will use this later to make our fox's tail. The cake tops can sit out at room temperature for a day if stored in an airtight container.
If you're making these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point. Take them out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you want to assemble the cake.

Buttercream Frosting:

Beat 2 cups of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp salt and beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Slowly mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of 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 seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time). Wait to color the frosting until we've crumb coated the cake.
Once the frosting reaches the desired consistency cover it with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Set aside.

Decorating this Fox Cake:

Stack and frost the cake layers on a greaseproof cake board or flat plate using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Stack the layers off-center so that you have room to add the fox's tail on the side.
Spread an even layer of frosting on top of each layer. Flip the top layer upside down to make it easier to frost and get sharp corners.
Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake that fully covers the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper and an offset spatula. Chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
While the cake chills, add a couple teaspoons of buttercream into the bowl with the cake tops we set aside earlier. Stir the mixture with a fork until it's fully combined and has a consistency similar to cake pops. It should be easy to handle and shape.
Use the cake top mixture to shape the fox's tail. It should look kind of like a sweet potato (see picture above). Place it in the freezer to make it easier to handle later.
While the cake chills, color the buttercream! It's going to sound crazy, but the frosting can be colored in one bowl. We start with the lightest colors and work our way to the darkest, so it works out great!
Start by scooping about 2 Tbsp of white buttercream into a small piping bag fit with a very small round piping tip like a Wilton 2. Set aside.
Scoop 3/4 cup of buttercream into a small bowl and make it a light orange color with a small drop of orange gel food coloring to make our fox's face. Place in a small piping bag fit with a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside.
Scoop 3 Tbsp of buttercream into the same bowl and color it black using a very generous squirt of black gel food coloring. Place in a small piping bag fit with a coupler and round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside. This will be used to make the fox's eyes and mouth.
Color the remaining buttercream a burnt orange color with a generous squeeze of orange gel food coloring + a teaspoon of cocoa powder. Place in a large piping bag fit with a large round piping tip (like a Wilton 1A) or cut with an opening about 3/4 inch wide and set aside.
Cover the cake in a thick layer of orange buttercream. Smooth using an offset spatula and bench scraper. Once the frosting is smooth, place the fox's tail along the side of the cake and cover it with orange buttercream too.
Use a scribe to trace where you want the face to go, then it's onto the piping! Pipe light orange frosting onto the cake to look like the fox's face and pipe a light orange tip on the tail. Smooth using a small offset spatula or acetate sheet.
Then it's time to sketch out our fox's features. Use a toothpick or scribe to trace out where the eyes and mouth should go. Pipe the black buttercream onto the cake to look like the fox's eyes and mouth. Use the white buttercream to add little dots on the eyes and nose to give them a bit more dimension.
The last step is to pipe the ears on top of the cake using the light orange and burnt orange buttercream like in the photos above. If you're nervous about making them with buttercream you can also use fondant triangles.

Video

Notes

How Much Batter Per Pan?

One batch of batter is about 1300g, so I'd recommend adding about 420g of batter to each pan (if you're using 3 pans like I recommend).

My Tips for Making the Best Fox Birthday Cake

Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Properly measure your cake flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated once you've added in the flour. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy.
Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. Make sure each pan has the same amount of batter will make your cake layers bake to the same height and bake more evenly.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost them!
Use an acetate sheet to make the frosting super smooth.

Making This Fox Cake in Advance & Storage Tips

Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

You can also make your 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.

This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.

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

Nutrition