triple chocolate gender reveal cake
Devil’s food cake, tinted white chocolate mousse, and double chocolate fudge frosting are deliciously layered to conceal the sweetest surprise in this Baby Giraffe Gender Reveal Cake.
Since moving back to Texas, two very special friends have announced the upcoming arrivals of their very first bundles of joy. I am so excited to be back in town to spoil these little cupcakes rotten and, of course, bake my heart out for these very special milestones. One mama to be happens to share my obsession with giraffes so a Baby Giraffe Gender Reveal Cake was the obvious choice for the occasion.
Of course I used my beloved Momofuku Milk Bar method for stacking the cake. I saved time by starting with my favorite boxed Devil’s food cake mix. I had half of a batch of Double Chocolate Fudge Frosting leftover from the coordinating cupcakes so all that was left to make was the simple syrup and white chocolate mousse filling.
Once the white chocolate mousse was made, I transferred a third of it into a piping bag to refrigerate before tinting the remaining mousse with pink food coloring. Piping a single ring of white mousse around the perimeter of each layer ensured that the pink mousse wouldn’t escape and ruin the surprise. I also spread a thin layer of the white mousse on the top layer of cake prior to freezing to keep it moist. Again, white instead of pink kept our little secret safe when covering the entire cake with the fudge frosting.
Bestie and I are both proud members of the fondant is gross party. However, I really wanted to make cute baby giraffes that would hold their shape in the brutal Texas heat. I went out on a limb and gave the Cake Boss fondant a try knowing that the decorations would be small enough that they could be easily removed and ignored if indeed they were gross. The giraffes were super easy to make using my giraffe plunger cookie cutter and I used the Cake Boss alphabet set for the text.
I rolled the fondant relatively thin using my Joseph Joseph adjustable rolling pin on the 1/16-inch setting which helped keep the decorations from overpowering the flavors of the cake. Bestie asked what I used to make the tasty little giraffes so I’d say that the fondant was a surprising win. Overall, I’d give Buddy’s fondant two thumbs up for color and taste and have actually already used it on another project that I’ll share with you later this month. The final component of the decorations was a band of alternating pink and blue Sixlets around the top and bottom of the cake to finish the edges.
The cake was a huge hit at the gender reveal party. This triple chocolate recipe may seem incredibly rich, but the light mousse filling and dreamy Double Chocolate Fudge Frosting were the perfect balance to the not too sweet Devil’s food cake. Whether you’re baking for team pink or team blue, this Baby Giraffe Triple Chocolate Gender Reveal Cake is the sweetest way to share the surprise.
- 1 box Devil's food cake mix plus required ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces premium white chocolate baking chips
- Pink or blue food coloring
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a quarter sheet pan (13x9-inch) with parchment paper, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
- Prepare Devil's food cake batter according to package directions.
- Pour batter into prepared baking sheet, using a spatula to spread evenly to edges. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Boil water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat just until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and used as a sweetener for iced tea or mixed drinks.
- Place white chocolate and butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.
- Add ½ cup of the cream to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
- Add remaining cream and white chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until smooth and soft peaks form. Be careful not to over mix as the chocolate will break and become grainy.
- Transfer ⅓ of the mousse to a piping bag or ziplock bag and refrigerate. Tint remaining mouse with either pink or blue food coloring until desired color is reached. Transfer remaining mousse to piping bag or ziplock bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Gently run knife around edge of cake to loosen from sides of pan. Turn over onto work surface and peel away the parchment paper.
- Using a 6-inch cake ring cut out two full circles and two partial circles from your sheet cake.
- Place cake ring on serving platter or cardboard cake round and line with a 4-inch tall strip of acetate.
- Place a full circle of cake into the bottom of the cake ring and brush with simple syrup. Pipe a ring of white chocolate mousse around the perimeter of the cake and fill with a generous layer of tinted mousse.
- Place the two half circles into the cake ring to create a full layer of cake. Brush with simple syrup and top with a second layer of tinted mousse with an outer ring of white mousse.
- Place the final full round on top of the cake and gently press down to even out layers. Brush with simple syrup and top with a final thin layer of white chocolate mousse only.
- Freeze cake for at least 30 minutes to an hour before carefully lifting cake ring off of cake and peeling away acetate.
- Spread a thin coat of double chocolate fudge frosting around the sides of the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Freeze an additional 15-30 minutes to set.
- Spread remaining frosting evenly around all sides and top of cake, smoothing with an offset spatula.
- Decorate as desired with fondant cutouts, candies, or sprinkles.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice with a sharp knife while still cold then allow slices to rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
GADGETS
6×3-inch Aluminum Cake Ring
4-inch Acetate Strips
Quarter Sheet Pan
Parchment Paper
Joseph Joseph Adjustable Wood Rolling Pin
Circus Animal Plunger Cutters
Cake Boss Alphabet Fondant Cutter Set
RESOURCES
Cake Boss Touch of Pink Fondant Mix found at Michaels
Cake Boss Bada Blue Fondant Mix found at Michaels
Single color packets of Sixlets found at Target and Michaels
I’ve never heard of such a thing – this is such a cute and tasty idea! So it looks like team pink won?
Always love the gender reveal cakes – they always seem like they’d be as fun to make as they are to eat :D
So CUTE! I love the stacking method too, I use the same one!
I, too, and not a big fan of fondant but used sparingly WITH frosting like this is fabulous :) What a beautiful cake and a special way to celebrate with friends!
I’m not a big fondant fan either, so I was impressed at that part of your baking adventure. But more importantly, the final result is incredibly cute and looks delicious. Bravo!
Thank you! You likely won’t ever see me cover an entire cake in fondant, but this was a fun way to play around with it. :)