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Bake Up Something Special

Nothing warms a room quite like a warm oven. Make something special for birthdays, anniversaries, or an after-dinner snack with baking recipes sent right to your inbox.

First Birthday Lion Cake

First Birthday Lion Cake

Ingredients:13
Servings:8

By Betty Crocker Kitchens(Opens in a new tab)Updated 02/28/2023

First Birthday Lion Cake

Ingredients:13
Servings:8

Capture first birthday moments with this cake idea.

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First Birthday Lion Cake

Prep time:40 min
Total time:1 hr 55 min
Ingredients:13
Servings:8

First Birthday Lion Cake

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Ingredient

1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Original yogurt French vanilla
Golden yellow gel or paste food color
Orange gel or paste food color
3/4 cup Cheerios™ cereal
6 pretzel sticks
2 brown candy coated pieces
Brown decorating gel

Instructions

Step 1
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease with shortening or cooking spray bottom only of 1 (6-inch) round cake pan and place paper baking cups in 16 regular-size muffin cups.

Step 2
In large bowl, beat cake mix, bananas, oil, water and eggs with electric mixer on low speed. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally until smooth. Place 1 3/4 cups batter in 6-inch round pan. Spoon remaining batter into 16 lined muffin cups. Bake round cake 35 to 40 minutes and cupcakes 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Step 3
In small bowl, beat cream cheese and yogurt on medium speed with electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Stir in yellow food color until mixture is desired color. Place 3 tablespoons of yellow frosting in small bowl; add orange food color to get desired orange color.

Step 4
To frost and decorate cake, slice 6-inch round cake horizontally to remove rounded top. Place cake cut side down on plate. Use yellow frosting to frost top and sides of cake. Use orange frosting to make muzzle of lion. Place cereal around top edges of cake to form the lion's mane. Add brown candy coated pieces for eyes. Insert pretzel sticks into cake near muzzle for whiskers. Use brown decorating gel to make mouth, nose and whisker spots on the lion face. Use remaining frosting to frost cupcakes. If desired, use cereal to decorate the cupcakes. Store cake and cupcakes in refrigerator.

Recipe Tips

Short on time? Substitute Betty Crocker™ Whipped fluffy white frosting in place of the frosting in recipe. Add food color to get desired color.
No 6-inch round cake pan? Use 8-inch round cake pan. Fill pan with 2 1/2 cups batter; bake 25 to 30 minutes. Use remaining batter to make 15 cupcakes. Make a paper template for a 6-inch circle. Place template on 8-inch cake and use it to cut out 6-inch round cake.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition facts are not available for this recipe