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A Hamburger Cake simply screams summer. It has moist and sweet vanilla cake “buns” and a rich chocolatey “burger” in the middle. The buttercream condiments are surprisingly easy to make without any crazy piping skills needed. While this cake is a labor of love, it’s the perfect dessert for summer birthdays, parties or BBQs served with an Aperol Spritz and these Copycat Shake Shack Burgers!
I LOVE cake and especially summer-y cakes. Everything from this Lemon Coconut Cake, Piรฑa Colada Cake and this pink coconut Sno Ball Cake are incredible treats to make all year long, but especially during the summer! If you want another realistic cake to make this Corgi Cake is too cute!
Ingredients You’ll Need for a Hamburger Cake
- Flour – Cake flour is a must for the vanilla cake layers. It makes the cake soft and light with a moist crumb. For the chocolate layer you want it be slightly denser so all-purpose flour is fine!
- Cocoa powder – I like to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it has a strong “chocolatey” flavor.
- Freshly brewed coffee – Coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor in the cocoa powder.
- Vegetable oil and butter – Vegetable oil is used in the chocolate cake layer to keep it extra moist. And tons of butter is used in the vanilla cake layers and to make the buttercream frosting.
- Cake decorating supplies – Food coloring gel gives a bright color to the buttercream condiments and white sugar pearls or white fondant is used to make the “sesame seeds”.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How To Make a Hamburger Cake
- Bake the Cakes. We’ve got a vanilla cake (da buns!) and a chocolate cake (da burger!) to make.
- Make the vanilla cake: Cream together the butter and sugar, add the eggs, then alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients. Place in prepared pans and bake!
- Make the chocolate cake: Mix together the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry then add to the prepared pan and bake!
- Make the Buttercream: Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until is is nice and fluffy then add the milk and separate into bowls.
How to Decorate a Hamburger Cake:
- Color all the buttercream. Except for one! The “mayo” is white so we don’t need to worry about that. What we do need is red “ketchup”, yellow “mustard” and green “lettuce”.
- Figure out what piping tips you need. The key to making sure everything looks different is to use the right piping tips. We need a large tip, a medium tip, and a leaf tip for this.
- Pipe and assemble! Lay a layer of the vanilla cake down on a cake stand then pipe on some “mayo” and top with the chocolate burger layer. Add some more “mayo” then use a leaf tip to pipe on “lettuce” and the other two tips to pipe on the “mustard and ketchup”. Top with the second vanilla layer and use some pearl sugar for “sesame seeds”!
Tips and Tricks
- Break up the work. I made the cake one day and wrapped it up then made the buttercream and assembled the second day. It’s much easier this way!
- Short-cut cake option. If youโre short on time and in search for a short cut, I would go the boxed cake mix route. A chocolate cake box and vanilla one will do the trick.
- Make sure you have the right piping tips. The leaf tip is the least common of the bunch but it’s a cool tip that I use almost every time I pipe flowers to fill in space. I like to buy my piping tips and bags at Michaels.
- Real sesame seeds are okay too. Pearl sugar can be a little tricky to find, just use real toasted sesame seeds! They absolutely work in sweet situations and would maybe further the illusion.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make it ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can make each component of the cake (the cake layers and the buttercream frosting) 1-2 days before assembling. The whole cake will last for up to 5 days tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Are there any short cuts to this recipe?
Yes! You can bake a boxed cake mix for the vanilla and chocolate layers and/or use store-bought frosting instead of homemade buttercream.
More Cake Recipes
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Hamburger Cake Recipe
A Hamburger Cake simply screams summer. It has moist and sweet vanilla cake โbunsโ and a rich chocolatey โburgerโ in the middle. The buttercream condiments are surprisingly easy to make without any crazy piping skills needed. While this cake is a labor of love, itโs the perfect dessert for summer birthdays, parties or BBQs served with anย Aperol Spritzย and theseย Copycat Shake Shack Burgers!
Equipment
- 1 Piping bag fitted with an open star tip
- 1 Piping bag fitted with a leaf tip
- 1 Piping bag fitted with a medium-size open circle tip
- 1 Piping bag fitted with a large open circle tip
- 1 Cake board
- 1 Cake turntable
- 3 (8×2)-inch round cake pans
- Stand-up mixer fitted with paddle attachment
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake Layers:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
Chocolate Cake Layer:
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cups granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup good-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee
Buttercream + Cake Decorating:
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon gel food color in green
- 1/4 teaspoon gel food color in yellow
- 1 teaspoon or more gel food color in red
- White sugar pearls or white fondant punched out into small circles using a piping tip as a cutter
Instructions
To Make the Vanilla Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line two 8 x 2-inch round cake pans.
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the eggs one at a time until incorporated, then add the vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cream and milk.
- 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. I mix for about 30 to 60 seconds totalโyou do not want to overmix this batter, but be sure the ingredients are incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly among two cake pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, checking for doneness at 25 minutes. The cakes will be done when a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean and the tops of the cakes are light golden brown.
- Cool the cakes completely in their pans before frosting. Or alternatively, cool them for 30 minutes in their pans and then gently turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
To Make the Chocolate Cake Layer:
- Make sure the oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. Grease and line one (8-inch x 2-inch) round cake pan.
- In a liquid measuring cup, mix together the whole milk and the white vinegar. Let the mixture sit until curdled, about 10 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 in a large bowl with the vegetable oil, eggs, 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 just until the batter is incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add the cake batter to the prepared cake pans and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, checking for doneness at 30 minutes.
- Cool the cake completely in its pans before frosting.
To Decorate the Cake:
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk, if using. Mix on low speed to combine the ingredients. Once the sugar is incorporated, crank the mixer to thigh speed and beat the mixture for another 2 minutes, until it has more than doubled in volume, for a fluffy whipped frosting.
- Divide the buttercream in half. Set aside one bowl. Divide the contents of the second bowl evenly among three bowls. Mix the green gel color into the first bowl, yellow into the second bowl, and red into the third bowl. Note: sometimes โredโ is a difficult color to achieveโit requires a lot of food gel coloring.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star tip with the uncolored buttercream. Fill a piping bag fitted with a leaf tip with the green buttercream. Fill a piping bag fitted with a medium-size round tip with the yellow buttercream. Finally, fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip with the red buttercream.
- Place a covered cake board on a cake turntable. Pipe a dab of uncolored buttercream onto the cake board. Place the first vanilla cake layer onto the board. Starting from the outside and working your way in toward the middle, pipe the uncolored buttercream in concentric circles, creating a giant, generous swirl of buttercream. Stop when you get to the center.
- My frosting was super soft because itโs summer! So transfer the cake to the fridge to firm up a bit, if needed. Pipe the nest layer of uncolored buttercream just as you did the first layer.
- Next, begin piping green buttercream โlettuceโ right on top of the uncolored buttercream layer, using the piping bag with the leaf tip. The idea is not to be too uniform with your leaves! Squeeze the piping bag a little harder to get bigger leaves, and overlap and layer them in a way that looks organic.
- Squiggle on your โmustardโ using the yellow buttercream. I pipe large loops all along the exterior, on top of the lettuce layer but not covering it.
- Using the red buttercream for your ketchup, piping this is an ongoing loop on top of the yellow buttercream layer but in between the yellow loops.
- Carefully place the final vanilla cake layer, unleveled and dome side up, on top of the โketchup buttercream. Gently press down to adhere.
- Place the sugar pearls on top of the cake for a sesame seed bun effect.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Break up the work.ย I made the cake one day and wrapped it up then made the buttercream and assembled the second day. It’s much easier this way!
- Short-cut cake option. If youโre short on time and in search for a short cut, I would go the boxed cake mix route. A chocolate cake box and vanilla one will do the trick.
- Make sure you have the right piping tips. The leaf tip is the least common of the bunch but it’s a cool tip that I use almost every time I pipe flowers to fill in space. I like to buy my piping tips and bags at Michaels.
- Real sesame seeds are okay too. Pearl sugar can be a little tricky to find, just use real toasted sesame seeds! They absolutely work in sweet situations and would maybe further the illusion.
Nutrition
Serving: 12g | Calories: 998kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 216mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 87g | Vitamin A: 1861IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!
Adrianna!!!! I f*cking LOVE that you made the burger cake!!!! I totes agree that itโs a labour of love – you can definitely make the cake in stages and then assemble day-of serving!!! You are equally hilarious and wonderful and I am so happy to know you!!! Thank you for your sweet support!! BIG CAKE ENER-G!!!
BIG CAKE ENERGY! HAHA sending love your way–congrats on the book! xoxo
I am NOT complaining about the fact that you’ve had two cake posts in a row. This looks like a beautiful hamburger cake. It reminds me of that cheeseburger cake from the first episode of “Sugar Rush” on Netflix, except yours look so much cleaner and more colorful! It may be hot in Los Angeles, but this cake is seriously SIZZLING.
haha yes, definitely neater but probably because I had more than 1 hour to bake it. those time constraints would leave me sweating and bothered…and with ugly cake.