Polar Bear Cake Tutorial for Crafty Home Bakers

Learn how to make this Polar Bear Cake that is simply stunning. A polar bear cake has never looked or tasted this good.  

I don’t know what it is, but animal theme cakes will always be adorable, and I will never get tired of them. 

This Polar Bear Cake is made with soft vanilla cake layers and creamy vanilla buttercream. The fondant decorations are what makes this cake so adorable. 

I’ll show you the exact steps to make this Rice Krispie Treats beanie that sits perfectly on top of the cake. Using fondant can be intimated for a beginner, but here I have the exact steps for you to replicate this cake at home. You will be so proud of yourself after you make this cake. You can do this! 

Tips for Success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
• In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps. 
• Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month. 
• You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
• If you want to get ahead, you can make the fondant decorations up to one week in advance and store onto a parchment-lined baking tray until ready to use. 
• If fondant gets too sticky, then use cornstarch or if it’s cracking, then use vegetable shortening to smooth out fondant. 
• Serve at room temperature and use a hot knife to get clean cake slices! 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
• Cake Stand, optional
• 6-8 Rice Krispies Treats, squares
• Turquoise Fondant 
• Black Fondant 
• Baby Pink Fondant 
• White Fondant
• Silicone mat 
• Small Fondant Rolling Pin
• 18-gauge covered wire and toothpicks 
• Wire cutters, optional
• X-acto knife 
• Circle cutters
• (Clay) Molding Tools 
• Small paintbrushes
• Vegetable shortening & cornstarch
• Parchment paper lined baking tray

Here’s how to make this Polar Bear Cake that’s Instagram worthy! 

Let’s Get Decorating! 

How to Make the Polar Bear Fondant Decorations

1. On a silicone mat, press two rice Krispies treats side by side tightly to form one block. Repeat creating two more blocks. 
2. With the first block, cut a 4-inch circle, cut the second block into a 3-inch circle, and cut the third block into a 2-inch circle. Stack the rice Krispies circle on top of each other with the small circle on the top. 
3. Press and squeeze the rice Krispies treats together, forming a rounded semi-circle for the polar bear beanie. After you have created the beanie’s shape, then place it on top of a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top of a cardboard cake board or a small plate. 
4. Frost a thin layer of frosting (or chocolate ganache) all over the beanie and smooth out the frosting as much as you can. Place the top hat into the freeze or refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes. 
5. On a clean silicone mat, knead and roll out 6 ounces of turquoise fondant to ¼ inch. Cover the rice Krispies treats with the turquoise fondant. Use your hands to smooth out the fondant and make sure the fondant doesn’t have creases. Use a fondant smoother to smooth the fondant and use the x-acto knife to cut and clean up the edges. 
6. Knead and roll out of turquoise fondant into ½ inch wide x 8-inch long strip. Attach with water to the bottom of the beanie. Use a molding tool to crease the fondant strip with vertical marks for the beanie details. 
7. Roll the turquoise fondant into 8 long thin ropes, add two ropes to the beanie in a cross pattern. Then twist two ropes together and attach those twisted ropes to the beanie attached with water. 
8. Roll a piece of turquoise fondant into a 1 ½ inch round ball. Attach the round ball on top of the beanie and use small scissors to clip the ball to create a furry texture.
9. Roll a piece of white fondant into an oval piece that’s about a 3 ½ inch nose/muzzle. Use a molding tool to create an indication of the mouth. 
10. Roll out white fondant to 1/8 inch thick, cut out two circle ears. 
11. Then roll out baby pink fondant for the inner ears and cut out a small heart for the nose. Attach with water the inner ears to the white ears and insert a covered wire into each ear. 
12. Then attach the small heart to the white-nose/muzzle. 
13. Roll the black fondant into a long rope, cut out two pieces to outline each eye’s top for the eyelashes, then cut one small piece for eyelashes for the ends.
14. Set aside to dry on a parchment-lined baking tray for 2 hours to overnight.  

How to Make Vanilla Cake Layers 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
5. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. 
6. Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

How to Make Creamy Vanilla Buttercream 

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla. 
3. Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
4. Before using, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake). 

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the cakes’ dome to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe ⅔ cup of buttercream and use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.  
3. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with white buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
4. Add a thicker layer of buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides and the top as smooth as possible. 
5. Add the polar bear beanie to the top of the cake. On either side of the beanie, add the ears into the cake.
6. Insert two toothpicks into the mouth fondant piece and then insert it into the side of the cake. Finally, add the fondant eyes. 
7. Serve the cake at room temperature and Enjoy it! 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Common Baking Mistakes & How to Avoid Them (free training)
• Cake Planning Checklist (freebie)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (online course) 

I’m so excited to see your Polar Bear cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help! 

Happy Decorating! 

P.S. Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out Cake Decorating for Beginners, my online cake program. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s important to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there! 

Watch The How-to Video Below: 

 

 

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