Jungle Birthday Cake with Jungle Animal Cupcakes

Your party guests will be roaring with excitement when you serve up this King of the Jungle Birthday Cake with Jungle Animal Cupcakes!

Where to Get the Cake Pan

The lion cake was made by using a Wilton shaped pan. This particular pan design has been retired, but you can still find it on eBay.

I actually love using eBay to buy cake pans. You can find some really great bargains there, and then you can turn around and sell the pans when you're done with them! Not a bad deal at all!

Bake the cake in the lion shaped pan according to package directions.

Make one batch of original buttercream frosting and one batch of chocolate buttercream frosting.

Use cake decorating gels or pastes, available at most craft or cake decorating stores, to tint the buttercream frosting orange and golden yellow.

Follow the lines on the cake to outline your decorating areas, then fill in your design by piping in the colors.

Use a star cake decorating tip to fill in the ears and face.

To make the mane, fill a decorating bag with the chocolate buttercream frosting. Starting at the face outline, "pull" the star tip from the face to the edge of the cake, filling in the cake sides with the same "pulling" motion.

Add the facial details and whiskers using a round tip and chocolate frosting.

Jazz up your Jungle Birthday Cake with Jungle Animal Cupcakes

Add to the jungle fun with adorable jungle animal cupcakes! Here's how:

Monkey Cupcakes

Use yellow buttercream frosting to ice your cupcakes.

Layer vanilla sandwich cookies, separated into halves, to make the monkey's face.

Cut a mini marshmallow in half and use for the eyes, securing with dots of frosting.

Use Fruit Loops cereal to form the ears, and add the facial details with black buttercream frosting.

Tiger Cupcakes

Cover your cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting.

Cut a mini marshmallow in half and use as the "cheeks." Fruit Loops cereal create the ears and the mouths.

Use black frosting to pipe the stripes and facial details.