Homemade Zebra Cakes
Make these GIANT Homemade Zebra Cakes using a doctored cake mix, a delicious fluffy buttercream, and candy coating! Remaking Little Debbies are a fun weekend baking project & taste so much better than store-bought!
Servings 12 thick cakes
Ingredients
Yellow Cake
- 15.25 oz yellow cake mix (don't use instructions on back) I like Betty Crocker "Super Moist"
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk i.e. you'll be using 3 whole eggs + 1 extra egg yolk
Creme Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract use clear vanilla for a bright white buttercream
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk (as needed) If frosting is a still a bit thick after beating for 5-8 minutes, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time
Coating (*see notes below for alternative options)
- 24 ounces white melting wafers OR almond bark (with spoonful of vegetable shortening) see notes section below for melting instructions and alternative options
- ¼ cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips (for stripes) melted
Instructions
- Be sure to read through the blog post above for important tips & tricks (and step-by-step photos!).
Making The Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together boxed yellow cake mix (15.25 ounces), melted unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), milk (¾ cup), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), eggs (3 large), and extra egg yolk (1 large). Pour in a greased and parchment-lined 9x13 light-colored metal baking pan, spread until smooth, then tap the pan on the counter about 20 times to remove the air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, then flip over onto a wire rack or piece of parchment paper. If your cake has a bit of a dome, press the pan on top as "weight" to help it flatten while it continues cooling.
- Once cooled, freeze cake for 30-60 minutes. This will help the cake firm up so that you can cut it into circles without it crumbling.
Make Buttercream
- Using an electric mixer (if using a Kitchenaid stnad mixer, use the whisk attachment), cream unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) and salt (¼ teaspoon) on high speed for 2 minutes until soft and creamy.
- Slowly mix in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time (3 cups), add vanilla extract (1 tablespoon), then beat for 5-8 minutes at medium-high speed. It’s important that you beat this for at least 5 minutes for it to be fluffy & creamy. If your frosting is thick, you can add 2-3 teaspoons of milk until desired consistency.
- Put frosting in a piping bag with large round tip or ziploc bag with the large corner cut off, then set aside for next step.
Cut Circles & Pipe Filling
- Remove cake from the freezer then immediately cut into (12) 2.5″ circles. A sharp biscuit cutter works best but you can also use a sharp-edged cup or cookie cutter. I recommend wiping cutter every 2-3 cuts to prevent crumbs from sticking.
- Use a serrated edge knife in a “sawing” motion to cut each circle in half horizontally.
- On one half, pipe a double layer of frosting (i.e. do one full swirl, then another one on top). Place the other half of the cake on top and gently press down.
- To prevent cakes from falling apart, freeze the assembled cakes for 30-60 minutes before dipping in white chocolate coating. I know, I know...freezing takes time but is required for these or else your cake will crumble when you dip them!
Coating
- Melt white chocolate melting wafers (24 ounces) according to the instructions on the package (or for almond bark, melt at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring in between each one).
- Once melted, scoop out about ¼ cup of white chocolate in a small bowl and set aside (since the main bowl will get crumbs in it, this is the “clean” white chocolate you’ll use to cover the tops).
- Remove cakes from freezer, gently brush off any loose crumbs, then quickly roll only the sides into the melted chocolate (don’t try to “dunk” the whole thing). Place on a greased wire rack or parchment paper to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
- With the small bowl of reserved white chocolate, use a spoon to pour on top, then spread until the cake is fully covered.
- Finish it off by melting chocolate chips (¼ cup) in the microwave (again at 50% power in 30-second increments), then put in a ziploc bag with a tiny corner cut off to pipe on “zebra” stripes on top. If you want the zebra stripes to “blend” into the white chocolate, add them immediately after you add the white chocolate on top.
- Allow cakes to harden before serving, then enjoy!
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days for ultimate freshness!
Freezing: While you can freeze these for 1-2 months, just keep in mind that the coating will likely “sweat” when you remove them from the freezer. To freeze, allow chocolate to fully harden, wrap each cake in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container.
White Chocolate Coating: As I mentioned above, you need a thin white chocolate coating for this, so I don’t recommend using just straight-up white chocolate chips. I’ve included the best options below.
- Melting Wafers: Ghiradelli has white melting wafers that tend to melt thinner than chocolate chips, which will make them easier to roll. Wilton also has candy melts that will work, although I still like Ghiradelli better for taste and thinness.
- White almond bark with vegetable shortening added: I don’t usually like using almond bark because some brands are too thick, so if you use it be sure to add in a spoonful of vegetable shortening (to the bowl of almond bark, prior to microwaving) so that it melts much thinner. I tested these with Kroger brand almond bark, which I like the flavor of (Aldi brand did not melt as well & did not taste good, in my opinion!). Whatever you use, be patient and melt in 30-second increments on 50% power, stirring each time. Overheating almond bark is the reason most people hate using it, ha!
- Ganache: You could technically use a white chocolate ganache for these, it just won’t harden like a candy coating will. To make this, use a 1:2 ratio (½ cup white chocoalte chips with 1 cup heavy cream). To make this, pour hot cream over chocolate chips, let sit for a few minutes, then stir until creamy.
