How to Make the Trendy “Cartoon Cake” That Doesn’t Even Look Real

Have you ever noticed that food looks a lot tastier in cartoons? Well, “Cartoon Cake” is no exception, with its bright colors and dimensions. In this article, you will discover what it is, how to prepare it yourself, and what designs make it look even cuter than it already is.

What Exactly Is a Cartoon Cake?

This cartoon cake is also known as a “comic cake,” and the secret to its appearance lies in decorating the layers to look two-dimensional, like a hand-drawn cartoon. Some bakers create this effect with fondant, but you can use buttercream icing too.

How to Prepare Your Own Cartoon Cake

Norah Clark, professional pastry chef and creator of Yummy Tasty Food shares that the key to creating the perfect cartoon cake is to use color, shape, and depth perception to create an illusion of flatness. Here’s how to make it at home:

Choose a design: Pick a design that includes clean lines and bright colors. It’ll be easier if you choose a cake with a simple shape like a circle or a square.
Bake and level the cake: Whatever recipe you choose, make sure the surface is flat to maintain the 2D appearance.
Apply buttercream icing: Start by covering a thin layer of buttercream frosting. This is called a crumb coat and will trap any crumbs that come off the cake. Smooth the frosting to give the cake a nice shape. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look neat and tidy, since you’re going to cover it up with another layer.
Decorate the cake: It’s easier to go for fondant and shape it into smooth designs, but you can also use colored buttercream.

How to Decorate With Fondant

Buy fondant in the colors you like, or make it yourself at home.
Roll out a large sheet of the base fondant, making it thin enough to spread evenly over the cake but thick enough not to tear.
Carefully place the base fondant over the cake and smooth out the surface. Cut off any excess fondant at the base.

Use parchment paper stencils to cut out your shapes.
Use long, thin cylinders of black fondant as outlines. Attach the thin black fondant lines along the outer edges with water to give it a 2D appearance.

How to Decorate With Buttercream

Divide the icing into two batches and color each with food coloring to match the colors of your design.
Draw the design elements onto a piece of parchment paper cut to the size of your cake. Outline them using a knife.
Using a piping bag and a small round tip, fill in your design with icing following your sketch.

Flatten the icing using the back of a spoon to achieve that 2D effect. The goal is to blend the borders between colors whilst still maintaining their individuality… just like a cartoon.
Use black icing to outline your design to give the cake the classic cartoon look. For precise lines and a realistic look, put black buttercream in a piping bag with a small, round tip. Line all the edges, and voilá — you have your cartoon cake!