Zoo Animal Baby Shower Cake

by Brenda Smith
(Colorado Springs, CO)

Baby Shower Cake

This zoo animal baby shower cake is a fantastic chocolate super simple cake recipe.

1 triple chocolate cake mix. Mix as directed except substitute half the water with buttermilk.
Then add 1/4 cup melted semi sweet chocolate chips
and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

Bake as directed on the box mix.

The frosting is this amazing French butter cream... so fluffy and less sweet..
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 cup cold butter (cut in cubes)
2 tsp. vanilla (clear if you don't want that to affect the color)

Mix sugar, flour, salt and milk in a sauce pan. Cook on a low heat stirring constantly until thickened. Let mixture cool until room temperature. Put the mixture in a standing mixer and let mix on high (with shield on your mixer if you have one if not drape hand towel over mixer and just lift to add butter)and slowly add butter.

Once all the butter is added then let it mix on high for approximately 10 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy looking.
Last add vanilla mix in and you are done.

Keep in mind that this frosting is 90% butter and it is perishable so it needs to be refrigerated. If you need to put left overs in the fridge just keep in mind that it will need to sit out for about 1 hour and be re-fluffed before you can use it... but it is well worth the time.

For the decoration I used store bought fondant even though I have a fantastic recipe for that too... it just is really time consuming.

My friend supplied me with a picture of the decorations that were going to be used for the shower and I did my best to duplicate it on the cake. The only request that the mom had is if I could use more blues because it is a boy baby.
The baby is made from a mold and fondant.