Chocolate Hedgehog Cake Tutorial

Hey, friends!

One of my favorite little critters (besides dogs, and rabbits, and turtles, and… okay, so I like animals!) is the hedgehog. I think they are so cute with their spikey little backs and tiny hands and feet.

A few weeks ago, I shared a photo of this whimsical hedgehog cake on my Instagram. It received such great feedback that I wanted to drop a quick tutorial here so you can make it for yourself!

As my first time attempting any sort of carved character cake, I wasn’t sure how this culinary “experiment” would turn out. However, it is MUCH easier than I had ever thought! No crazy pan shapes, tricky methods, nor professional baking skills required!

All you need to do is gather the common kitchen items listed below, and follow along with this simple-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial. Feel free to substitute the cake and frosting recipes in this post for your own favorites!

I included my video tutorial of assembly, as well, under the subheading “hedgehog cake assembly tutorial”, so skip down to that if you’re just here for the creative reference!

Then, you, too, can impress all of your friends with an adorable hedgehog cake!

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Baking Tools for a Hedgehog Cake

These are all of the materials I used to bake and carve my hedgehog cake:

• I used this six-inch cake pan, three times (be sure to utilize a pan that is three inches tall instead of two; it offers a bit more rising room for your cake, which will give your finished hedgehog the proper height)
• Six-inch round cake board (you can find a pack here)
• Off-set spatula (I have multiple sizes, and used the smaller of the two for the majority of this cake)
• A cake knife; if you don’t have one, a thin, serrated knife will also do the trick on this moist cake.
• Food coloring gel (I only use these AmeriColor Gels)
• Food processor (I have this mini chopper for small jobs, like the nuts on this cake)
• Food-safe paint brushes, like these
• Piping bags
• Wilton-brand grass piping tip (which you can find here)
• White fondant (a 4 oz package like this is plenty)
• Saute pan or small skillet
• Toothpick(s)
• Double-boiler pot (like this one)
• Whisk
• Wax paper
• Kitchen towel
• Spatula (almost every kitchen has a spatula, but I HAD to link these ones anyway because they are ADORABLE)
• Stand-mixer (for anyone in the market, I LOVE my KitchenAid. A hand mixer can work too, as long as you are patient!)
• Oven… haha, I hope you have this if you’re looking at a baking tutorial 😉

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Cake and Frosting Recipes

Feel free to utilize your favorite cake and frosting flavors to create your hedgehog. You will need three, six-inch layers of cake that are each a little under three inches tall. A typical buttercream recipe for an average sized cake will give you enough with which to decorate.

For my hedgehog, I used a moist chocolate cake recipe I found online and adapted to what I had in the kitchen, with layers of chocolate hazelnut swiss meringue buttercream, and crunchy caramelized hazelnuts. YUM! If you like Nutella, this is the recipe for you.

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Hedgehog Cake Assembly Tutorial

Now that you have all of your cake components finished, it is time for the fun part: assembling your hedgehog! Check out the two-minute video below, and then peruse the written instructions below for more details!

Step One

Place a clean cake board on your work surface, and add a small amount of frosting to the center. This will act as a “glue” to keep your cake in place.

Trim off the domed top of two layers of cake, if necessary. You’ll notice in my video that these cakes were quite flat on top, which worked out great.

Step Two

Place the first cake layer on the cake board, and spread a good amount of frosting on top. It doesn’t have to be very neat, so you can just use a spatula. Try to make it even, though, so your hedgehog doesn’t lean!

TASTY TIP: If you’d like, you can place some caramelized nuts on top of the frosting, in between each layer, to add a yummy, crunchy element in the cake. (I’m not a big nut fan, so I just added mine as a garnish, later on.)

Then, repeat this process again, layering the second cake on top of the first, and adding frosting (and nuts, if you so choose.) Place the third cake layer on top.

Step Three

Use your knife to shave away the sharp edge of the top layer of cake, creating a smoothly curved dome shape. This will become the rounded head of the hedgehog.

HELPFUL TIP: Feel free to keep these cake scraps for snacking… or for nosey hubbies venturing into the kitchen, hoping they can get a piece of what smells “sooo good.” 🙂

Step Four

Next, use your offset spatula and the plain white frosting to create a thin layer of what will become the face and “belly” area of the hedgehog. Think of a rounded doorway or an upside down “U” shape to get you started.

Initially, the frosting does not have to be perfect; this first layer will “crumb coat” (or “dirty ice”) your cake, which helps lock in the crumbs and create a canvas for a smooth, final layer of icing. So, if you have cake peeking through this first buttercream layer, don’t worry!

Use the same spatula to crumb coat the rest of the hedgehog with the slightly browned, Nutella buttercream. Again, it doesn’t have to look perfect, and don’t worry about the color at this point – it will all be covered with more frosting in the next step.

Once the cake is fully crumb coated, place it in the freezer for ten minutes (or the refrigerator for twenty, depending on where you have room – LOL) to chill. This allows the buttercream to harden just a bit and hold it’s shape, keeping the crumbs inside for the next layer of icing.

Step Five

Remove your cake, and apply a second layer of white icing to the front of the hedgehog.

FROSTING METHOD TIP: Scrape off the spatula often when smoothing out the frosting to create a flawless finish.

If you didn’t use nuts in between the layers, now is the time where you can add some in. I placed a thin layer just on top of the “head” of the hedgehog; I wouldn’t recommend going any farther down the sides, though, as the frosting-spikes won’t stick as easily.

Next, scoop about three-quarters of the remaining Nutella frosting into a separate mixing bowl, and add a few drops of food coloring gel to create your ideal hedgehog color. I used a blend of red, yellow, and a tiny bit of black to create a darker brown/gray. You don’t have to mix the color completely, as a slightly marbled color adds a touch of artistic realism to the project.

IMPORTANT COLORING TIP: Only apply a drop or two of color at a time; you can always add more later, but it’s very hard to fix frosting with too much color. If you need an even smaller amount than a drop, dip a toothpick in the gel and swirl it into the frosting.

Step Six

Next, insert the grass piping tip into your piping bag (or fasten into the coupler, if you use one) and snip off the tip of the bag. Use a food-safe paintbrush and a bit of black food coloring gel to draw two or three stripes on the inside of the bag. This little step adds streaks of color as your icing is piped out, creating a very realistic color gradation on the hedgehog spikes.

Then, place a bit of your colored buttercream and a bit of the lighter Nutella-only buttercream into the striped bag and begin piping short spikes onto the hedgehog’s head, sides, and back (leave the white frosting plain for the face and arms.) It helps to apply quick, yet forceful bursts of pressure to the piping bag, and pull away quickly to really give the “spikey” appearance. If you are nervous to start, try piping onto a plate or napkin a few times, first.

As you pipe, notice how the buttercream color may begin to change periodically. Use this how you like, to go back and add more color variation to certain places you may feel need it.

DESIGN TIP: I chose to curve the edge of the spiked area in just a bit towards the bottom of the white, to give the appearance of a less-rigid, more cartoon-like hedgehog.

Finally, once you finish piping all of the spikes, review your work, and fill in any spots that are a little bare or were smudged while you worked.

Step Seven

Next, we will begin to create the peachy face, arms, and feet of your hedgehog – now he is really going to get cute!

First, tear off about half of your fondant, and use a toothpick to add some yellow and a bit of red food gel coloring to it. Roll the fondant around to mix the color, and adjust if necessary.

Pinch off two small pieces of the same size to create the feet, and roll each into an ovular, egg shape. Then, place them at the bottom of the hedgehog, pressing the fondant into the frosting a bit.  Using a toothpick, make two small “dents” into each foot, to give the appearance of little toes.

Next, roll out two longer shapes to create little arms for your hedgehog. I created mine to angle towards the center to hold a flowerpot. However, you can just let them hang to the sides, connect so he “hold hands”, or whatever you imagine!

Finally, use a rolling pin (or a muddler, or even a cup) to flatten the remaining tan fondant. Grab a butter knife (a spoon could also work) and carve out the hedgehog’s face. I wanted him to have HUGE eyes, so I shaped two large circles and a smaller, curved triangle (pointing downwards) for his mouth area. Place it gently on the hedgehog.

Use some more white fondant, this time colored with a tiny bit of black, to roll out a small sphere for the hedgehog’s nose, and two larger circles for the outside layer of his eyes. Then, use the paintbrush to apply the black gel coloring straight to the fondant. This gives that nice, cartoon-like shine and saturation.

Step Eight

Next, shape the following details out of fresh fondant:

• Two larger white egg shapes, flattened slightly on each edge, to create ears.
• Four light pink spheres, flattened fully, to create the inside of the ears and the “blushed” cheeks.
• Two smaller white spheres, flattened fully, to create the main “reflection” in the eyes.
• Four smallest white spheres, flattened fully, to create the tinier “reflection” in the eyes.
• One orange trapezoid (start with a rectangle) with the wider end doubled over, to create the flower pot.
• One green thin shape, bent at the end to create a stem and leaf.
• Six tiny spheres (five orange, one yellow), pressed together to create petals of the flower.

Step Nine

Finally, your hedgehog is just about finished! Spoon some of the remaining toasted hazelnuts around the bottom of the cake to replicate dirt. After all, hedgehogs are little woodland creatures!

And, with that, your hedgehog cake is finished!

Make sure to take A LOT of photos, because, with the delicious chocolate-hazelnut flavoring, cutting into this cute little creation is inevitable! 🙂

You can store your cake, covered, for a few days at room temperature, but it probably won’t last that long before being gobbled up! 😉

Have you ever baked any type of character or creature before? I’d love to hear your ideas! Leave me a comment below and let me know!

This chocolate cake recipe is adapted with the inspiration from my moist chocolate mocha cupcake recipe! You can check those out by clicking here. Instead of frosting the cupcakes like normal, try using the grass tip and making MINI hedgehogs!! A cute, simple idea if you’re in a time pinch!

Don’t forget to find me on Instagram so we can keep in touch, and be sure to tag me in any photos you post of your cake-based animal creations! I love to see your works of culinary art.

And, enter your email below to receive notification of my next blog post like this one. You don’t want to miss it!

Take care guys! Until next time…

XOXO

 

 

 

 

 

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