Hamburger Cake Recipe

Hungry for more? This recipes was featured in a podcast episode!

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Have some fun tricking your guests with this burger look-alike cake recipe. All the batter for the cakes is made in one batch, simplifying the process. This way you have the energy to get creative with all the toppings!

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook time: 30 min (cool & freeze overnight)

Decorating time : unlimited

Yield: 3 8-inch round cakes

Ingredients

Cakes

• 335g (2 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 170g (3/4 cup) butter

• 315g (1 1/2 cup) white sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 310 ml (1 1/3 cup) milk

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Rolled Marshmallow Fondant

• 8 oz mini-marshmallows

• 1-3 tbsp water

• 4 cups icing sugar

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

• Food colouring paste/gel *optional

Buttercream Icing

• 115g butter,

• 180g icing sugar

• 2 tbsp whipping cream

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1/4 tsp salt

• food colouring paste/gel *optional

Directions

Cakes

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line three 8-inch springform pans with parchment paper on the bottom and the sides.

2. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Grate butter into the bowl for a mixer & add the sugar. Beat together until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides down a couple times so that the butter and sugar are fully and evenly combined.

4. Add the eggs to the butter sugar mixture one at a time, and mix and scrape after each egg.

5. Measure out the milk in a cup and add the vanilla to it. Set aside.

6. Turn your mixer on to low speed and add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixing bowl and then half of the milk. Mix together until no dry ingredients remain.

7. Add in the second-third of dry ingredients and the rest of the milk to the mixing bowl. Mix together until no dry ingredients remain.

8. Turn off the mixer and scrap around the sides to be sure that the butter-sugar mixture and the wet and dry ingredients have combined evenly.

9. Add the final amount of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

10. Divide 2/3 of the batter evenly between two of the parchment lined baking pans.

11. Mix in the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to the remaining third of the batter until combined and then pour into the last parchment lined baking pan.

12. Bake the cakes in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 min. Turn them and bake them for a further 12-15min or until set in the centre. Test to make sure a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.

13. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 min. Remove them from the pans and let cool completely on baking racks.

14. Once cool, stack the cakes, separating them with parchment paper, and place in a sealed container for freezing. Freeze before decorating.

Rolled Marshmallow Fondant

1. In a medium pot, add the marshmallows and the water. Heat over low-medium heat until the marshmallows melt and combine with the water. Stir regularly throughout the heating process until smooth.

2. Remove the pot to a heat-proof surface and add 3 cups of icing sugar to the marshmallow cream. Fold and stir until thick and combined.

3. Grease the countertop with a tablespoon of cooking oil and turn the marshmallow mixture out onto the counter. Grease your hands with sunflower oil and start kneading the marshmallow mixture like a dough.

4. Knead the remainder of the icing sugar into the dough and any food colouring you'd like to add at this point. Keep greasing the counter and your hands as needed to prevent sticking.

5. Your fondant is done when it can form a smooth ball and will stretch without tearing.

6. Store unused fondant in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to 8 weeks.

Buttercream Icing

1. Grate butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar and blend together using a mixer. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that the sugar and butter combine evenly. Add the whipping cream, vanilla food colouring and salt. Blend on high until fluffy.

2. Makes enough icing to cover two 8-inch round cakes.

Final Assembly

1. Bottom Burger Bun : Cover the top and sides of a white cake with a light brown buttercream icing. Spread on some red buttercream icing that drips over the sides of the bottom of the bun to look like ketchup

2. Burger Layer : Place the chocolate brown cake on top of the bottom burger bun.

3. Toppings : Colour some fondant yellow and roll out into a large thin sheet. Trim it into a square to look like processed cheese & place on top of the burger layer. Colour some fondant green and roll out into a large thing sheet. Cut the edges in a wavy pattern to look like lettuce and place on top of the cheese. Colour buttercream red and yellow and pipe in thick strands to mimic ketchup and mustard.

4. Top Burger Bun : Trim the edges of the white cake so that the top cake is domed. Cover with light brown buttercream icing. Sprinkle with crispy rice cereal to imitate sesame seeds.

Zhuzh it up!

• Spread out the baking and assembly over two days. This allows the cakes to cool and freeze completely before icing & assembling the cake. This makes it so much easier to work with the cake.

• Make the icing and fondant the day you decorate. This makes it easier to work with.

This amazing recipe was inspired by the Cheeseburger Cake on the Hallmark Channel Website.