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tropical jungle cake design
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This tropical jungle cake design was incredibly fun to create. I got my inspiration from a zebra print cake design on Cake Central . Instead of doing all three tiers in a zebra print, I made the top tier a giraffe print and the bottom tier a leopard print. Each tier of the cake is composed of two layers of Hershey’s chocolate cake filled with a cheesecake then frosted in Italian Meringue Buttercream and covered with fondant. 

This was definitely one of the most time-consuming cakes to make since it involved making three tiers of chocolate cake as well as making the cheesecake for the center of each tier. The cheesecake had to completely cool before I could assemble the cake so I made them one day in advance.  The chocolate cakes were made 3 days in advance and frozen which actually made assembling the cake much easier.

tropical jungle cake design

For the giraffe and zebra designs, I used a technique that I learned from sweetwise by pressing the design between two layers of their vinyl Mat. This gave the design a smooth, seamless look. For the leopard design on the bottom tier, I decided to paint the design on with food coloring.

I made the tropical flowers two weeks in advance with sugar paste. For the lily flowers (as well as the frangipani’s) I used the cutters and tools that came in my gumpaste flower kit. For an easier method, you can also use a silicone mold to make the flowers.

tropical jungle cake design
tropical jungle cake design

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About Dahn Boquist

Dahn is a retired nurse, recipe creator, home cook, baker, and self-proclaimed foodie. She loves creating in the kitchen and cooking for family and friends. She lives in Washington State with her husband and dog. When she isn't cooking or baking, you can usually find her spending time with her grandchildren or exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

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2 Comments

  1. Laura says:

    Can this cake recipe be done in 10 inch pan? Also I would love to try this recipe for a tier cake for a birthday party. Would you suggest a cake bored under top tier or would it fine without? Also would this cake be good for a naked style? Thank you

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Yes, this cake is composed of a 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch tier. I would recommend keeping all the tiers on a board and supporting the boards with cake dowels. The chocolate cake should work fine as a naked style cake.