How to Make a Dog Cake with Buttercream Icing

Buttercream Dog Cake – a simple buttercream dog cake, any level baker can master!

Birthday Cakes

My Avery turned 8 yesterday and I’m still trying to cope with this whole, “growing up” thing. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it! Avery always has grand ideas for her birthday cakes and this year was no different.

Before we get into this year’s buttercream dog cake, let’s take a little trip down memory lane!

Avery’s 7th Birthday Cake

For Avery’s birthday last year, she wanted a rainbow cake. I love a rainbow cake and the traditional rainbow order but decided to stray from the usual once I saw the candles by A Glow. They are truly something special and I loved how the order of colors felt more random but still scream, “rainbow!”. For this one, I used my Confetti Cake recipe (minus the sprinkles).

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TIP: when adding food coloring to your cake batter, make sure to fold it in so you don’t over-mix your buttercream (which causes your cake to sink when it bakes).

Avery’s 6th Birthday Cake

Two years ago, Avery had one of her more “unique” requests – a bear unicorn cake. Yes, you read that right. Bear + unicorn!

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This cake was chocolate cake layers with chocolate buttercream.

Avery’s 5th Birthday Cake

Three years ago, Avery was actually only concerned about the flavor of the cake. She specifically told me she wanted a peach cake that wasn’t my Peach Crisp Cake. It needed to have peach cake layers, peach filling, and vanilla buttercream. You may remember this cake… it was quite the ordeal! It took several attempts to get the peach flavor to stand out in the cake layers but was well worth the effort. My Peaches and Cream Cake is delicious and Avery loved it!

Avery’s 4th Birthday Cake

When Avery was younger, the color of her cake mattered a lot. For her 4th birthday, she wanted a blue and pink cake. To do something a little more exciting than just coloring vanilla cake, I decided to create a Cotton Candy Cake. This one is very sweet and tastes just like the fan-favorite county fair treat.

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Avery’s 3rd Birthday Cake

No surprise here! Avery was a huge Elsa fan when she turned 3. Her entire party was Frozen-themed, which included the cake. I made an ombre buttercream design for the cake and then melted white chocolate, spread it on parchment paper, sprinkled it with candy pearls, and let it dry before I broke it into pieces.

Avery’s 2nd Birthday Cake

At age two, little miss already had an opinion about her cake. This was the first time she requested something specific. PINK! It had to be pink! This was also the year I started Cake by Courtney.

Avery’s 1st Birthday Cake

We had been traveling on Avery’s first birthday, so I’m gonna say it – I made a box cake mix! 😉

Buttercream Dog Cake Tutorial and Tips

Okay! Back to this year’s buttercream dog cake! The cake itself was my Ultimate Chocolate Cake – chocolate cake layers, chocolate mousse filling, and chocolate buttercream.

How to Make a Dog Cake with Buttercream

• Trim a little cake off the top of each cake layer to use for shaping the nose and ears on the dog face.
• Stack and crumb coat cake.
• Freeze crumb coated cake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add a spoonful of buttercream to the cake scraps and mix well.
• Shape the cake scraps to form ears and nose area.
• Prepare TWO piping bags with grass Piping Tips.
• Fill each piping bag with chocolate buttercream (don’t fill past 2/3rds full – you’ll be alternating between the two bags as each gets a little warm from your hand).
• TIP: when your buttercream starts to soften too much, switch it for the second bag and place the first bag in the fridge for a few minutes to set the buttercream.
• Start piping the dog hair from the bottom of the cake and work your way up.
• Once the cake is covered, roll out fondant. I like to use these small packets of Fondant
• Use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut two eyes in black fondant.
• Take a small piece of white fondant, roll a ball in your hands and press flat to make the whites of the eye.
• You’ll also want to roll out some black fondant to create the lines from the nose to the mouth and one for above the tongue.
• I simply shaped the tongue with my hands. See picture above for reference on shape.
• Gently place the fondant pieces into place.
• Candle: Meri Meri Brand

How to Cake It

Check out my post HERE for more animal-inspired cakes! Also, follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for tips and recipes on all things cake!