Caterpillar Cake

I made a caterpillar cake for a kid’s third birthday Saturday — a row of small round cakes connected with frosting to form a colorful caterpillar. Reimbursement $50 tip $40.

The recipe is below.

Caterpillar Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups buttercream frosting, divided
• Green, yellow, orange, and red gel food coloring
• 1 cup white buttercream frosting (for details)
• 2 large chocolate-covered candies or Oreo cookies (for eyes)
• 2 candy-coated chocolates (for pupils)
• 1 red candy rope or licorice strip (for mouth)
• 2 pipe cleaners or pretzel sticks with candy balls (for antennae)
• Assorted round candies or M&Ms (for spots and decoration)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and one 6-inch round cake pan (or use three 8-inch rounds if preferred). Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Add wet ingredients. Add the eggs, buttermilk, cooled coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Beat with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth and slightly glossy.
4. Bake the cakes. Divide batter among the prepared pans, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
5. Color the frosting. Divide the 3 cups of buttercream into 4 portions. Tint each portion a different color: green, yellow, orange, and red. Keep the 1 cup of white buttercream separate for detail work.
6. Arrange the body. On a large board or tray, arrange the round cakes in a curving line to form the caterpillar’s body — largest cakes first, smallest at one end for the head. If needed, trim cakes slightly to help them nestle together.
7. Frost each segment. Frost each cake round with a different color of buttercream, smoothing the sides and top with an offset spatula. Alternate colors so each body segment is distinct.
8. Build the face. On the smallest cake (the head), press the two large chocolate candies or Oreos for eyes and place smaller candy-coated chocolates on top as pupils. Arrange the red candy rope in a curved smile. Insert pretzel sticks or pipe cleaners at the top of the head for antennae, topping each with a small candy ball.
9. Add details. Use the white buttercream in a piping bag to pipe small dots, outlines, or swirls on each body segment. Press colorful round candies or M&Ms along the sides for playful spots.
10. Serve and celebrate. Slice each round cake individually when serving. The caterpillar is best enjoyed the day it’s assembled but can be refrigerated (loosely covered) for up to 2 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 62g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg