How to Make Turkey Cake

How to Make Turkey Cake

Have you ever seen a cake so adorable? Impress your in-laws with this super easy, super cute Thanksgiving dessert! The feathers are made by brushing white chocolate onto parchment paper and then chilled until hardened. Use your favorite cake mix or use boxed to keep it simple like we did.

Ingredients  of Turkey Cake

2 Boxes of white cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box 

FROSTING AND ASSEMBLY

1 c. half and half 

3/4 c. cocoa powder 

1/2 tsp. kosher salt  

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

2 c. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 

4 c. powdered sugar 

White chocolate candy melts

Orange chocolate candy melts

Red chocolate candy melts

Yellow chocolate candy melts 

Oreos, for decorating 

M&Ms, for decorating 

Direction Turkey Cake

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350° and line three 8" cake pans with parchment paper. Grease with cooking spray. In a large bowl, prepare cake mixes according to package instructions. 

Divide among pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

FOR FROSTING AND ASSEMBLY

Simmer half-and-half, cocoa powder, and kosher salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bittersweet chocolate until smooth. Let cool 5 minutes.

Beat butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Gradually add chocolate mixture and beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Level tops of each cake with a serrated knife to create even layers. Place down one cake and top with a heaping cup of frosting, then top with second cake and repeat with third layer.

Using about 1 1/2 cups of frosting, smooth a crumb coat around outside of the cake. Transfer cake to
refrigerator until frosting is hardened, 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, make the white chocolate turkey tail feathers: Heat white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a medium pot of barely simmering water (bottom of bowl should not touch water), stirring occasionally, or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring in between bursts, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Repeat this with all colors. 

Dip clean, dry pastry brush into melted chocolate. Brush a stripe of chocolate that resembles a turkey tail feather on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill. Repeat process with all chocolate colors on second parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Swap trays and go over original brush strokes, repeating and chilling in between coatings. Gently reheat chocolate if needed, until feathers are 1/4" thick. Use this technique to create a turkey beak and wattle that you will place near the beak.

Spread remaining frosting all over cake using an offset spatula, creating a feathered pattern.

Place Oreo halves on front side of cake, icing side up for eyes. Dot the bottom of chocolate M&Ms with frosting and place on top of Oreo halves for eyeballs.

Place colorful, feathers on the top of the cake for the tail. And the smaller white ones on each side for the wings.

Finish by placing the beak and wattle right below the eyes.