Grinch Cake Tutorial

This Grinch Cake is a totally fun and festive dessert for Christmas–and it starts with a doctored up cake mix so it’s not even difficult to make!

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I sort of am. But I’ve been listening to Robert Downey Jr. sing “River” on repeat (Ally McBeal Christmas album is THE BEST) and I have to say it’s beautiful but um, Joni Mitchell writes depressing songs. And also it’s not actually a Christmas song, just something on a Christmas album so there’s that too.

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And eating a slice of Grinch Cake will certainly help the situation. Side note: we’re talking the Grinch after his heart grew three sizes, not before. So it’s super-Christmas-y.

Yes—flour, sugar, and vanilla! Those three ingredients help make the cake taste more like it’s made from scratch. I used clear vanilla extract to make sure my cake layers were extra white but you can use regular.

Beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until the batter is smooth, then use a rubber spatula to scrape up from the bottom and get everything totally mixed together.

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Divide the batter between two 8-inch round cake pans lined with parchment and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, then cool completely before frosting and decorating your grinch cake.

Be sure your cake pans are at least 2 inches high because these cake layers rise quite a bit. I used these cake pans and they worked perfectly.

First, just know that you don’t have to stick with vanilla—you can add a little peppermint extract (or lemon—go crazy!) if you want to mix things up a bit.

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Beat room temperature butter with an electric mixer until very creamy. Add powdered sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla extract (I used clear vanilla again) and beat until smooth. Then add green gel food coloring to achieve your desired color.

I strongly recommend using gel rather than liquid so you can get a nice, vibrant green without using a ton of food coloring, but if liquid is all you have then it’s fine.

Frost your cake like normal—spread some frosting on top of one cake layer, top with the second, and use the remainder to frost the outside of the cake. Use an icing smoother or offset spatula to create a smooth surface for your fondant hearts.

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Use a rolling pin to roll store-bought red fondant into a even, thin layer (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick). Dust the fondant with a little powdered sugar if necessary to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.

Use a small, sharp heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts—my cookie cutter was 1 and 1/4 inches tall. After you cut out each heart, remove the fondant from around the heart rather than attempting to lift the heart out from inside the fondant. Carefully transfer the hearts to the cake and gently press them into the sides.

Baker’s tip: If you can’t lift the hearts off your work surface without stretching them, leave the cookie cutter around the heart and work a small offset spatula under the fondant, then lift both the fondant and the cookie cutter up. Gently remove the cookie cutter and your heart should stay the right shape.

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I used this closed star tip to pipe the frosting on top of the cake and these Christmas sprinkles and jimmies to finish it off; sprinkles are optional but strongly recommended 😊

If a Grinch cake doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit then I don’t know what will. Now who wants a slice? I’m on my third for the week and I’m a little concerned I’ll turn green if I keep going. . .send help!

Did you make this Grinch cake? That’s great! Take a pic and post it over on Instagram–tag @the so I can see your gorgeous creations!The creation of this Grinch cake started with the purchase of a very silly grinch sweatshirt. It was $10 and the sleeve said “naughty.”

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I chuckled the second I saw the sweatshirt and was able to move past the writing on the sleeve. It was an impulse purchase but one I don’t regret.

I love the Grinch, and watch it almost every holiday season. I actually watched all three versions of the Grinch while making this cake and my Grinch cupcakes, and it really warmed my heart.

The sweatshirt was exactly the push I needed to finally make a Grinch Cake. But once I’d made up my mind, I had a few things I needed to figure out.

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The Grinch has had many looks over the years. He’s been a classic cartoon (1966), a person (2000), and an animated grump (2018). However, in my mind he’ll always be the classic, whimsical, Dr. Seuss version.

Lucky for me, that’s the Grinch that was on my sweatshirt! While that version is a bit scarier looking (and more evil in the movie), it also is more iconic. More importantly, it’s easier to pipe with buttercream!

Once I had a game plan for decorating the cake, I needed to figure out the cake flavor. I took a poll on my Instagram, and the votes came down to pistachio and banana.

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Pistachio because it’s naturally green, and banana because of that memorable song line from the movie (You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel!).

For those of you who haven’t tried compost cookies before, they are incredible. These cookies have just about everything in them but the kitchen sink!

They have all the makings of a normal cookie, plus butterscotch chips, potato chips, graham cracker crumbs, oats, and even pretzels. It’s a wonderful combination of salty and sweet, just like the Grinch.

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Not only is it delicious, I also loved the name! I associate the word compost with garbage, and the Grinch eats garbage. It all just seemed so fitting for this cake.

Since this edible cookie dough wasn’t going to be baked, I was worried the texture of raw oats in the cake filling might be a bit off putting.

I also decided to add in some rainbow sprinkles for a pop of color, and swapped the chocolate chips for mini white chocolate chips.

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Surprisingly, the butterscotch chips and potato chips are really what make this cookie so irresistible. They’re the first and last flavors to hit you, and they leave a lasting impression 🙂

This cake filling is based off of my tried and true edible cookie dough recipe. I incorporated all of the salty and sweet mix-ins into the dough, and also included a bit of baking powder and some pasteurized egg whites.

Why, you might ask?? I wanted you to be able to bake cookies with any leftover cookie dough filling! To make cookies, shape cookie dough balls with 1 Tbsp of batter. Chill for about 1 hour in the fridge.

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Bake on parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet at 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Using heat treated flour and pasteurized egg whites (egg whites from a carton) make this cookie dough is safe to eat raw.

If you can’t find heat-treated flour, you can simply heat your flour in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until it reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

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The final challenge of this cake was the Grinch’s fur. I was happy with how smooth I was able to get my second layer of green frosting, but it didn’t feel right.

In all three version of the Grinch, his fur is part of his identity. I wanted to create some texture, but I didn’t think that piping on fur would be quite right. That would make him too hairy.

He needed just a bit of fuzz. A touch of fur. I decided to use a small fork to add a bit of texture.

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I dipped it into a cup of hot water, dried it off, then lightly ran it over the frosting. It gave the cake the exact look I was hoping for.

These cake layers can be made in advance!! Learn more about how far in advance they can be made, and how to properly wrap them in my post on how to make cake layers ahead of time.

If you can't find heat-treated flour, you can simply heat your flour in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until it reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

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Leftover cookie dough can also be baked into cookies! Shape cookie dough balls with 1 Tbsp of batter, and chill for about 1 hour in the fridge. Bake them at 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

I’ve tried to searched everywhere on here before commenting. But I can’t see where you let people know you off set those cake layers some. And I feel it would be very important to know which ones you offset to create the best results. Looking on the video alone is