Lion Cake

5 from 5 ratings

This lion cake is just as adorable as it is delicious! It's made with tender vanilla cake layers, rice krispie legs, and homemade buttercream frosting.

Prep Time15

Cook Time33

Additional Time3

Total Time3 48

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 776kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake Layers

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
3 cups granulated sugar 600g
1 cup carton egg whites or 7 large egg whites, room temperature 235g
3 cups cake flour 360g
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 10g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream, room temperature 382g
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 56g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
yellow gel food coloring - optional

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 678g
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
11 cups powdered sugar 1375g
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 160g
yellow, orange, pink, and black gel food coloring

Rice Krispie Treats - Lion's Arms and Legs

1 cup mini marshmallows 50g
1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal 60g

Lion Cake Decoration

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Vanilla Cake Layers

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease and line six, 6-inch cake pans, and one 4-inch cake pan. Set aside. 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.
Add 1 cup of unsalted butter and 3 cups of granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a high speed with a whisk attachment for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. The mixture will become lighter in color as air is whipped into it.
Add 1 cup of egg whites and mix at a medium-high speed until the mixture looks fluffy and increases in volume.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of cake flour, 2 1/2 tsp of baking powder, and 1 tsp salt.
Add half of the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture and mix on a low speed until just combined.
Then add in 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a squirt of yellow gel food coloring (optional). Mix on a medium speed until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Mix in the remaining dry ingredients on a low speed.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through to help them bake evenly.
Let the layers cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then flip them onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Once the cake layers have finished cooling, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake layer (leave one layer rounded to be the top of the lion's head) and trim the layers to look like a lion's body and head (see photo above). The lower three, 6-inch layers will be the lion's body, and the top three, 6-inch layers will be lion's head. The 4-inch layer will be the lion's neck. I like to trim the head and body layers together, then stack them to make sure they look right.
If you make these cake layers in advance, wrap and freeze them like this. When you're ready to assemble the cake, unwrap the frozen layers and let them thaw for about 20 minutes before you assemble the cake.

Step 2: Make the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.
Beat 3 cups of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
Add in 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of salt and mix on a low speed.
Gradually mix in 11 cups of powdered sugar and 2/3 cup of heavy cream halfway on a low speed.
Once the ingredients are fully combined and the frosting has reached the desired consistency, beat on low until for a couple extra minutes to make the frosting super smooth and push any extra air out of the frosting.
If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time). We will wait to color the buttercream until we've filled and crumb coated the cake.
Cover the buttercream with plastic wrap to prevent crusting, then set aside.

Step 3: Assemble this Lion Cake

Stack and frost cake layers on a 10-inch greaseproof cake board or cake drum using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Stack the cake layers slightly off center so that you have room to add on the lion's legs.
Add an even layer of buttercream between each cake layer with a large offset spatula and stack them in the same order that you trimmed them in.
Insert either a thick plastic straw (like a bubble tea straw) or a wooden dowel through the center of the cake layers to help stabilize them.
Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake to fully cover the cake layers. Smooth using an acetate sheet then chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

Step 4: Make the Arms & Legs with Rice Krispie Treats

Place 1 cup of mini marshmallows in a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds at full power. They should be melted at this point and easy to stir. If not, heat in additional 15 second intervals until 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 shape two thin front legs and two thick hind legs with the rice krispie mixture.
Place the arms, legs and tail next to your cake as you shape them to make sure they're proportionate and shaped properly.

Step 5: Color the Buttercream

While the cake chills, color the buttercream. It sounds crazy, but you can actually color all the frosting in one bowl. We start making the lightest colors and gradually work our way to the darker colors. Using the same bowl to make all the colors actually helps the colors blend together better and look more cohesive.
Start by scooping about 1/2 cup of buttercream into a medium-sized bowl and color it light yellow with a small drop of yellow gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a large round piping tip. Seal the top of the bag with a rubber band or clip and set aside.
Place 4 cups of buttercream into the same bowl and color it a yellow/orange, marigold color with a generous squirt of both orange and yellow gel food coloring (equal parts), plus a tiny drop of black to deepen the color. Place the frosting in a large piping bag fit with a Wilton 1M piping tip and seal the top with a rubber band or clip. Set aside.
Add about 2 tbsp of buttercream into the same bowl and color it pink with a squirt of pink gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a large round tip.
Place about 3 tbsp of buttercream into the same bowl and color it black with a generous squirt of black gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a small round piping tip. Seal the top with a rubber band or clip and set aside.
Color the remaining frosting that's in your mixing bowl a warm yellow color with yellow gel food coloring a small squirt of orange. Place the frosting in a large piping bag fit with a large, round piping tip. In the picture above I used a large flat piping tip, but I think that using a round tip would make the process easier. Seal the top with a rubber band or clip.

Step 6: Decorate the Lion Cake

Press the rice krispie arms and legs into place on the chilled cake. If they aren't staying in place, use a little buttercream to help them stay put.
Spread an even layer of yellow buttercream over the entire cake, then use a small offset spatula and/or acetate sheet to smooth the frosting. This is the hardest part of the process in my opinion! It can be hard to get the frosting smooth, but just do your best and remember that the mane is going to cover up most of it.
Trace out where you want the lion's face to go with a toothpick or scribe. Use the black, light yellow, and pink buttercream to pipe on the lion's facial features like in the photo above. If you don't feel comfortable piping on the face, you can also use fondant instead of buttercream. The cake might look a bit odd at this point, but trust the process! I promise that once you add on the mane it's going to look so cute.
Use the yellow orange buttercream to pipe on the lion's mane. I used a combination of buttercream rosettes and squiggles to make the mane. Then add on some buttercream ears using the yellow buttercream, and use the light yellow buttercream to pipe on the lion's tummy. The last step is to pipe on the lion's tail.
Then enjoy! If you make this cake in advance, store the frosted cake in the fridge and let the cake sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving to make it easier to cut.

Video

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Lion Cake

Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. This makes it easier to stack and frost.
Make this lion cake vegan or dairy free if needed! Use your favorite type of dairy free milk to replace the buttermilk and heavy cream, and use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter. For the eggs I recommend using an egg replacer like this.
Insert a thick bubble tea straw or wooden dowel through the layers once they're stacked to help keep the cake stable as you decorate it.
If your hands run hot, wrap a paper towel or thin kitchen towel around your piping bag to prevent the transfer of heat from your hands into the frosting.

Making this Lion Cake in Advance

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

You can make your frosting ahead of time too 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.

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 in the fridge for up to a week.

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