Who knew how many of you love Pop-Tarts? We ran a quick Snapchat poll asking whether you toast yours and the responses were surprisingly passionate. (For the record: I’m team not toasted.) We even made a Pop-Tart–inspired chair before and you loved it, so naturally we kept the theme going and created this giant Pop-Tart cake.
It’s essentially a sheet cake, which means it’s easy to pull together. To stay true to the Pop-Tart inspiration, we filled it with jam so each slice has that familiar sweet center.
DIY Giant Pop Tart Cake
1
Cake
Ingredients
- One 9×13″ vanilla cake Box mix or your favorite homemade recipe
- Vanilla frosting
- Strawberry jam
- Food coloring
- Pink royal icing Optional; instructions below
- Royal icing ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
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With a long, sharp knife, carefully slice the 9×13 cake horizontally to create two even layers.
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Spread a 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer of buttercream over the bottom layer. Spoon a generous layer of strawberry jam on top of the buttercream, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Place the second cake layer on top.
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Tint the remaining buttercream a light tan to mimic the pastry color. If you don’t have tan food coloring, mix a tiny amount of yellow with a touch of cocoa powder until you reach the shade you want. Apply a thin crumb coat to the whole cake, chill about 30 minutes, then finish with a smooth final coat. Add a slightly darker tan around the top edges to suggest a toasted look.
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For a more authentic Pop-Tart frosting, use royal icing. Make royal icing by combining the meringue powder, powdered sugar and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and beating on medium-high for 7–10 minutes. Tint the icing pink, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, and pipe a smaller rounded rectangle in the center of the cake, leaving about 2 inches between the piped edge and the cake edge. Flood the shape with icing and finish with sprinkles.
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To recreate the classic Pop-Tart texture, use a skewer or chopstick to poke about a dozen small holes around the exposed tan buttercream area.
Tried this recipe?
Share a photo and tag @studiodiy or use #studiodiy to show us your version.
Photos by Jeff Mindell | Recipe by Theresa Rountree
Grab your cake pans—this giant Pop-Tart cake is a fun, nostalgic dessert that’s easy to assemble and perfect for sharing. Now tell us: toasted or not toasted?
P.S. If you like novelty cakes, don’t miss the popsicle cake idea for another playful dessert option.