Cactus Themed Cake Tutorial

If you’re looking for an easy but adorable cake to make, this cactus themed cake is perfect! You don’t need any fancy tools or piping tips. Just grab a plastic bag and some food coloring and you’re set.

First, bake two round cakes. This is my favorite recipe for cupcakes because it’s so easy and simple!

Once your batter is ready, separate part of the batter into two smaller bowls.

Color the separated batter green and pink. Divide your plain batter evenly between two greased cake pans, then swirl in the green and then pink batter. Bake as directed (my cakes took 30 minutes) and allow your cakes to cool.

Mix up a batch of your favorite vanilla frosting. I used this one.

The first step when decorating a cake is the crumb coat. Begin with one layer of cake. If necessary, cut the cake into the size that you need. I cut mine down a little so that it would fit on the white cake platter I used.

The professional bakers have a trick to keep their cakes moist, and this was my first time trying it. Make a simple syrup by boiling 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup of sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Use a pastry brush to coat each layer of your cake with a few tablespoons of this mixture.

To do the crumb coat, use a spoon to spread a thin layer of frosting all over your first layer of cake. This helps trap the crumbs and provide a good base for decorating.

Next, make your filling for between the layers. I mixed 1/4 cup of vanilla frosting with 1/4 cup of black doris plum jam.

Use your vanilla frosting to build up a ‘moat’ around the edges of the cake, then spread your filling evenly inside the moat. The edge keeps the filling from spilling out the sides.

Next, place your second layer of cake on top and finish your crumb coat.

Now for the fun part! (Okay, ALL of it was fun for me…)

Separate some of your vanilla frosting and color it green, and pink. Spread an even, smooth layer of vanilla frosting over the entire cake.

Fill a ziploc bag with your green frosting, and one with the pink frosting.

Cut a jagged hole in the corner of your bag of green frosting, and pipe cactus shapes on the top of the cake, and fill in dots underneath the cacti and around the bottom edge of the cake.

Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag of pink frosting to pipe flowers on the cacti and fill in pink dots beneath the cacti, and around the top and bottom edges of the cake.

Finally, place chocolate jimmy sprinkles on the cacti as the spikes.

This cake is perfect for a desert-themed party and we know cacti are all the rage right now! It’s easy to make without needing fancy piping tools.

Making this cake was so fun and I’m looking forward to making more in the future! It tasted amazing too. Little Abel was very cooperative and took a few good naps that gave me time to make this cake. Here’s hoping he keeps it up!