Tiger King Themed Tiger Cake Recipe
Simple and delicious swirled chocolate and vanilla cake batter in festive tiger pattern surrounded with easy, fluffy vanilla buttercream
How to Make the Best Tiger King Themed Tiger Cake
Get ready to bring the wild spirit of Tiger King to your dessert table with this showstopping Tiger King themed tiger cake. This gorgeous two-tone creation features stunning swirls of chocolate and vibrant orange batter that create an eye-catching tiger stripe pattern. It’s as fun to look at as it is to eat, making it the perfect centerpiece for any celebration with a wild twist.
The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity—you’re working with a basic vanilla cake batter that gets divided and colored in two different ways. The orange-tinted batter creates that bold tiger color, while the chocolate addition gives you the striking dark stripes. When layered together strategically and swirled with a knife, these simple batters transform into a work of edible art.
Complete your tiger cake masterpiece with fluffy, pillowy vanilla buttercream that provides the perfect complement to the chocolate-vanilla cake layers. Whether you’re throwing a Tiger King viewing party, celebrating a wild birthday, or just want to impress guests with your baking creativity, this eye-catching dessert is sure to be the talk of the table.
Tiger King Themed Tiger Cake
Simple and delicious swirled chocolate and vanilla cake batter in festive tiger pattern surrounded with easy, fluffy vanilla buttercream
Ingredients
Cake
Chocolate Swirl
Vanilla Buttercream
Instructions
Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing and lining with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter between two portions. To one portion, add orange gel food dye (or a few drops each of red and yellow food coloring) to create an orange-colored batter.
- For the chocolate swirl portion, mix cocoa powder, sugar, and milk to create a paste. Fold this into the remaining batter.
- Layer the batters alternately into the prepared pans in rings or sections to create the tiger stripe pattern. Swirl gently with a knife to create the pattern.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the softened butter until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Notes
- See original recipe for specific cocoa powder recommendations
- The tiger pattern can be created by piping the chocolate mixture in stripes or swirls through the orange batter
- For best results, ensure all ingredients are at room temperature