African Sunset Cake

This African Sunset Cake is the perfect centerpiece for your jungle or lion-themed party. Decorated with shades of orange and yellow icing, this buttercream cake also features lovely black trees that pop against the bold background. The top of this cake has plenty of room for customization, a cake topper or birthday candles! Pair with the Fur-rocious Lion Cupcakes!

Skill LevelIntermediate

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Instructions

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Bake cake. Prepare cake batter following recipe instructions. Bake and cool two cake layers. Level each layer to 2½ in. high. Fill and stack for 5 in. high cake. Crumb coat cake using white icing.
Tint icing. Tint 1/3 cup icing each red-orange, orange-red and dark yellow using color combinations provided. Combine Red-Red and Orange icing colors to get red-orange color shown. Combine Orange and Christmas Red icing colors to get orange-red color shown. Combine Golden Yellow and Lemon Yellow icing colors to get yellow color shown. Using Orange and Golden Yellow icing colors, tint 1/3 cup icing each orange and golden yellow.
Using Black icing color, tint ½ cup icing black. Set aside for later step.
Decorate cake. Prepare five decorating bags separately with red-orange, orange-red, dark yellow, orange and golden yellow icing. Cut 1 in. hole in tip of each bag.
Starting with red-orange icing, pipe two even rows of icing around bottom of cake. Continue piping rows, working towards lightest shade (orange-red, orange, golden yellow, yellow). Ice top of cake with yellow icing.
Using icing smoother, smooth out icing, letting colors lightly blend together.
Prepare decorating bag with tip 4 and reserved black icing. Pipe trees around cake.
Helpful Hint: If needed, draw trees on your cake with a toothpick first before piping.