How to make a burger cake – let’s do it!
Have you ever tried making a hamburger cake? This burger cake is simple as can be, using vanilla cakes and a chocolate cake “patty” to make up the burgers and buns. Vanilla buttercream tinted in various colours acts as the condiments – mayo, ketchup, mustard and even lettuce! The trick is to use a few different piping tips. I love this burger cake because it’s super cartoony-looking and simple to execute- perfect for beginners!
Can I Veganize This Cake?
But of course! I recommend using the recipes from my book Plantcakes! Or use your favourite vegan cake recipes for vanilla and chocolate cake, and swap plant butter for conventional butter in the recipe below. Or if you’re feeling fancy, try my vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe!
What You’ll Need to Make This Hamburger Cake
I made an 8-inch round cake burger. You’ll need 8×2-inch round cake pans to bake your burg cake – recipes are below for vanilla cake and chocolate burger patty cake! Make sure you lightly oil and line your cake pans with parchment paper circles for easy baked cake removal.
Making buttercream details
This cake project calls for one recipe for vanilla buttercream. You can make it simple buttercream, or Swiss meringue buttercream! Either will work wonderfully! You will need piping tips. I used a large open star tip to pipe the “mayo”, a large open circle tip to pipe the “ketchup”, a leaf tip to pipe “lettuce leaves” and a smaller open circle tip for the “mustard.” I’ve also made squares of orange fondant for an instant cheeseburger! You could also use buttercream for cheese, too.
You’ll need gel food colouring in Red, Green and Yellow to tint your vanilla buttercream, too.
Start by piping a concentric circle of buttercream on top of the first layer. You can also just frost it regularly, but I like the look of the ridged exterior poking out from underneath the “patty”!
Top your first layer with the chocolate burger patty layer.
Pipe another big old concentric circle on top of the chocolate cake layer. This will help anchor the “toppings” and “condiments.”
Using the leaf piping tip, pipe some lettuce-y looking pieces all around the cake.
Next, use the smaller open circle piping tip to pipe some mustard squiggles on top of the lettuce leaves!
Finally, use the larger open circle tip to pipe some larger “ketchup” squiggles!
Now, top that layer with the “burger bun” top!
I love adding crafty additional details – I think these French Fries and soda cake toppers really take the cake! They are optional, of course, but add to the cartoony cute effect.
Finish your cake off with little white sprinkles for “sesame seeds.” Add the custom burger themed cake toppers, and you’ve got A VERY CUTE BURGER CAKE! YAY!
Burger Cake
ingredients
For The Vanilla Cake "Bun" Layers
- 227 grams unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup
- 350 grams granulated white sugar, 1 3/4 cups
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 390 grams cake flour, 3 cups
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 325 ml whole milk, 1 1/2 cups
For The Chocolate Burger "Patty"
- 125 ml whole milk, 1/2 cup
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 123 grams all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp
- 200 grams granulated white sugar, 1 cup
- 60 grams Dutch process cocoa powder, 1/2 cup
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 63 ml vegetable oil, 1/4 cup
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 125 ml brewed hot coffee, 1/2 cup
For The Vanilla Buttercream
- 454 grams unsalted butter, room temperature , 2 cups
- 520 grams icing sugar, sifted, 4 cups
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
instructions
Make The Vanilla Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Grease and line two 8 by 2-inch round cake pans with parchment paper circles.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, on at a time, until combined. Add the pure vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk mixture. Keep alternating as you add the mixtures, finishing with the dry ingredients, about one minute, until a cake batter is formed (do not overmix).
- Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans, filling about 2/3 full, smoothing the batter with an offset spatula. (Leftover batter can be used to make cupcakes.)
- Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers out out clean with moist crumbs.
- Cool cakes completely on wire racks before frosting!
Make The Chocolate Cake Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Grease and line one 8 by 2-inch round cake pan with parchment paper circle.
- In a liquid measuring cup, mix together the whole milk and vinegar, setting aside to make buttermilk, about ten minutes.
- In the meantime, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together on low speed the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Once the milk is curdled, whisk it into a large bowl with the vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Add the hot coffee and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking for doneness around 20 minutes. The cakes will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake completely on wire rack before frosting!
Make The Vanilla Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt on high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
- Divide the buttercream in half, then divide one half into three bowls. Tint the bowls using gel colouring in red, green and yellow for the condiments.
Decorate The Cake
- Build the burger cake! Place a dab of buttercream on your cake board or plate. Place the first vanilla cake layer on top and use a serrated knife to level the layer, if needed. Add simple syrup to the layer, if using.
- Fill the piping bag fitted with the large open star tip with uncoloured vanilla buttercream. Starting from the outside and working your way in, pipe thick coils of buttercream, ending in the center. Place the chocolate layer on top.
- Pipe another concentric circle on top of the chocolate layer.
- Fill the piping bag fitted with the leaf tip with the green buttercream. Pipe leaves all around the edge of the white buttercream.
- Fill the piping bag fitted with the smaller round tip with yellow buttercream. Pipe squiggles of mustard on top of the leaves.
- Fill the piping bag fitted with the larger round tip with red buttercream. Pipe squiggles of ketchup on top of the mustard.
- Carefully place the second vanilla cake layer on top! Add simple syrup, if using, and push the white non-pareil sprinkles into the cake to look like sesame seeds (optional).
- Add custom cake toppers such as french fries and soda!
Additional tips
Keep your burger cake moist by using simple syrup for the cake layers. Simple syrup is made by combining one cup of water with one cup of granulated white sugar. Bring both to a low boil on the stovetop and let it reduce by half. Add one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Let this mixture cool and thicken into a simple vanilla syrup. Once cooled, use a pastry brush to add the syrup to the cake layers for added moisture!
Keep this cake air tight in a cake carrier will keep it from drying out! Because it doesn’t have the added insulation of an exterior buttercream layer, the cake should be served the day-of making for maximum freshness!
Can I make this burger cake vegan? YOU SURE CAN! Just replace the cake recipes with your favourite vegan ones, and use this vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Hope you enjoyed learning how to make a burger cake with me! Anyone feeling hungry for drive-thru?? ME! Check out my BURGER CAT cake for more burger-themed inspiration!
xo Lyndsay
R.O>
SO>AWESOME>COCOCAKES!
Thanks for sharing, looks pretty simple, too!
lyndsay
heyyyy thanks RO! ^__^
chaoslady
super!
Ali Cat
oh come on. that is much too great!
lyndsay
thanks, chaoslady!
thanks, ali cat!
^__^
allison b-t
love this photo tutorial! i had a store bought burger cake for my birthday a few years back but this one looks way better!
lyndsay
hey thanks allison b-t! ^__^
Nanette
This is genius!! Love it :)
WW4S
Hi Lyndsay,
any chance you could do a tutorial or show where we might find one on how to do the leaf work you did on this cake? I’ve been told it’s much more complicated than it looks. I’ll be making this for my bf’s bday and I want it to look as great as yours does!
lyndsay
@nanette – thank you so much :)
@WW4S- hi there! it is not complicated at all , i promise! take your leaf tip and practice piping on a plate or piece of parchment paper first. plus, as long as it looks somewhat leafy, i wouldn’t worry too much!! as i am certain your BF will “get” that it’s supposed to be a burger! let me know how it goes! :)