Owl Cake

I am not going to explain why my children had two birthday parties although their birthdays are only four days apart. And of course they had more than one cake. Spoiled! I know! Not to mention how my 4-year-old only cared about the candle blowing part but NOTHING!

Ingredients:
2 batches chocolate devil’s food cake
3 sticks unsalted butter, soften
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup Nutella
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 Oreo cookies
2 brown or black M&M’s
1 piece of orange rind
1 tablespoon small chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-inch (3 quarts) stainless steel mixing bowls and one 5 1/2-inch (1 1/2 quarts) stainless steel mixing bowl.
Put 3 cups of cake batter in each of the large mixing bowl, and 2 1/2 cups in the small mixing bowl.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let cool in the bowls for 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto a greased rack. Cool completely before frosting.
To prepare the buttercream, beat butter on high until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until incorporated. Reverse a cup to frost owl’s belly.
Add cocoa powder and beat until combined. Then add Nutella and cream, and beat until you get to the right consistency.
To assemble the cake, level the cakes if they come out with round tops. Place one large cake (round bottom down) on your serving plate, then flip another large cake on top, flat side down, to create a symmetrical owl body. Place the small cake (flat side down) on top of the owl body. Insert a wooden chopstick through the centre to keep the layers secured.
Spread the reserve white frosting on the front of the owl body for its belly.
Smear the Nutella frosting on the rest of the owl body and head. Gently press the tip of a small spatula in the Nutella frosting and pull it out to create the feathered effect.
Separate the Oreos, then secure a M&M’s on each halve with the white filling with a dab of white icing. Place 2 Oreo eyes onto the head. Then insert an orange rind between the eyes to make the owl beak.
Cut one of the remaining Oreo cookies in half. Insert them, curved side out, at the top of the head. Cover with Nutella frosting to match the body.
Dot chocolate chips to the belly area for a speckled look.

31 comments

  1. I really enjoyed the recipe! The cake was awesome and a highlight at the birthday party I baked the cake for. Thanks a lot! I

  2. Wow, this cake looks amazing!
    I would like to bake it too but I’m not a native speaker of English and
    do not really know what is meant by “batch”. Is ist two times the Chocolate Devil’s Cake batter?

    1. Thanks, Theresa. And you are right, you need to make two portions of chocolate cake batter for this cake. Hope you enjoy the recipe! :)

  3. This is adorable!!! Is it Ok to put SS mixing bowls in oven?? I have never heard of such a thing before…. Any alternative methods?

    1. Hi Melinda, I’ve done that a lot of time when I make a cake with a dome top. Still able to use the same bowl for mixing. To easy release cake from the bowl, just make sure you grease and flour the interior. :)

  4. i will try it our for my birthday :) 8 days left… will give you some feedback. thanks for the sweet idea.

    1. Happy birthday in advance, Nadia! I hope you will enjoy making and eating the cake as much as I did! Look forward to hearing your feedback. :)

  5. I am so going to try this for my gf. It’s not only just for the kids. The owl is gorgeous. Well done!

  6. Does anyone know how I can get a “printable” version of this recipe. Want to make it, but my computer won’t let me print it out.

    1. Hi Vern, I’ve added a Print-Friendly button at the bottom of the post/recipe. You should be able to print out the recipe now. :)

  7. This looks so cute. I’m going to try it for my 6 years old birthday. Can you give an idea of how tall the finished product is? Thanks so much for posting.

  8. THIS CAKE IS THE CUTEST CAKE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! It seems so simple, but you make it look so fabulous that you forget that it’s really just two pans and a lot of impressive, luscious frosting! Happy Birthday to your little girlie! Thanks! ~ nerdwithtaste.wordpress.com

  9. Wow I came across this on foodgawker and am in love. This cake does look giant, and was it difficult to ice? But I want to try making it for someone’s birthday, looks very impressive and yummy.

  10. WOW! This is truly an amazing cake! Such a great idea to bake it in bowls that you would use anyway to get that great shape. My school’s mascot happens to be an owl, so this is perfect :)

  11. I am 54 years old and I WANT this cake for my 55th! I expect I will have to make it myself, but that’s okay too. Oreo Eyes…genius.

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