Lucy M. This magical birthday cake is shaped like a castle and covered in chocolate, candies, and fun decorations.
I made this Castle Birthday Cake for my niece’s birthday, and it was a huge hit. The kids couldn’t stop staring at it, and the adults kept asking how I made it. It might look fancy, but it’s not hard if you take it step by step. The soft chocolate cake layers, rich frosting, and candy decorations make it fun and tasty. I even used leftover cake bits to build turrets! If you’re looking for a fun birthday cake idea, this castle will make anyone feel like royalty.
Castle Birthday Cake Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 1¾ cups (180g) cocoa powder
- 2 cups (480ml) boiling water
- 7 cups (1400g) granulated sugar
- 6⅔ cups (1400g) buttery spread, cold
- 8 tablespoons baking powder
- 12 cups (1500g) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 24 extra-large eggs
- 8 tablespoons milk
For the chocolate frosting:
- 1¼ cups (280g) salted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 4 cups (500g) confectioners’ sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 5 tablespoons boiling water
To decorate:
- 2 wafer cookies (for the door)
- 1 tube of edible glue
- 1 small packet of jelly beans
- 8 KitKats or chocolate fingers
- 4 small packets of M&M’s (47.9g each)
- 5 waffle ice cream cones
Once you’ve mastered this fun castle cake, keep the baking streak going with Mary Berry’s marble cake—it’s pretty, moist, and full of flavor.
Instructions
- Start by heating your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-inch square pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk half of the cocoa powder with half of the boiling water until it’s smooth. Now add half of the sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, and milk into the same bowl. Use a hand mixer and beat the mixture for about 2 minutes until it looks fluffy and creamy.
- Pour the batter into the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Gently press the center—if it springs back, the cakes are ready. Let them cool on a wire rack.
- Wash your pans and line them again. Repeat the same mixing and baking steps using the rest of the ingredients to bake two more cakes. Let all four cakes cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, start the chocolate frosting. In a clean bowl, beat the softened butter with milk and half of the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. In a small bowl, stir the cocoa powder with boiling water to make a rich paste. Add this paste to the frosting, along with the remaining sugar. Mix everything together until it’s thick and fluffy.
- Take your first cooled cake and place it on a large cake board or serving tray. Spread a thick layer of frosting on top. Place another cake on top to make the base of your castle.
- From the other two cakes, cut out two 4½-inch square pieces using a paper template. Layer them with frosting and stack them in the middle of the base. This forms the top tower of the castle.
- Use a 2-inch round cutter to make 10 small circles from leftover cake pieces. Frost and stack them to create 5 mini towers (turrets).
- Place one turret on each corner of the bottom layer and one in the center of the top layer. Use a spatula to frost the entire cake and all the turrets until they’re completely covered in chocolate goodness.
- Now the fun part—decorating! Stick wafer cookies on the front to make the castle door. Use jelly beans for the doorknobs. Press KitKats or chocolate fingers along the bottom and top layers to look like castle walls.
- Fill the tops of the turrets with M&M’s. For the tallest turret, decorate one ice cream cone with jelly beans using edible glue. Set it on the top-center turret. Add the remaining cones upside down on the other turrets to finish the look.
- If you have extra decorations like flags, toy soldiers, or mini princesses—go wild! Make your cake as magical as you want.
Castle Birthday Cake
This Castle Birthday Cake looks like something out of a fairy tale, but it’s actually really doable at home. The best part is decorating it with candy, cones, and whatever fun things you have around. It’s perfect for birthdays, themed parties, or anytime you want to surprise someone special. I’ve made it a few times now, and it always brings big smiles. Try it once—you’ll want to build a cake castle again and again!
Ingredients
Method
- Start by heating your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-inch square pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk half of the cocoa powder with half of the boiling water until it’s smooth. Now add half of the sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, and milk into the same bowl. Use a hand mixer and beat the mixture for about 2 minutes until it looks fluffy and creamy.
- Pour the batter into the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Gently press the center—if it springs back, the cakes are ready. Let them cool on a wire rack.
- Wash your pans and line them again. Repeat the same mixing and baking steps using the rest of the ingredients to bake two more cakes. Let all four cakes cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, start the chocolate frosting. In a clean bowl, beat the softened butter with milk and half of the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. In a small bowl, stir the cocoa powder with boiling water to make a rich paste. Add this paste to the frosting, along with the remaining sugar. Mix everything together until it’s thick and fluffy.
- Take your first cooled cake and place it on a large cake board or serving tray. Spread a thick layer of frosting on top. Place another cake on top to make the base of your castle.
- From the other two cakes, cut out two 4½-inch square pieces using a paper template. Layer them with frosting and stack them in the middle of the base. This forms the top tower of the castle.
- Use a 2-inch round cutter to make 10 small circles from leftover cake pieces. Frost and stack them to create 5 mini towers (turrets).
- Place one turret on each corner of the bottom layer and one in the center of the top layer. Use a spatula to frost the entire cake and all the turrets until they’re completely covered in chocolate goodness.
- Now the fun part—decorating! Stick wafer cookies on the front to make the castle door. Use jelly beans for the doorknobs. Press KitKats or chocolate fingers along the bottom and top layers to look like castle walls.
- Fill the tops of the turrets with M&M’s. For the tallest turret, decorate one ice cream cone with jelly beans using edible glue. Set it on the top-center turret. Add the remaining cones upside down on the other turrets to finish the look.
- If you have extra decorations like flags, toy soldiers, or mini princesses—go wild! Make your cake as magical as you want.
Nutritional Value (Per Slice – Approximate)
- Calories: 420
- Fat: 20g
- Sugar: 38g
- Carbs: 55g
- Protein: 5g
Conclusion
This Castle Birthday Cake looks like something out of a fairy tale, but it’s actually really doable at home. The best part is decorating it with candy, cones, and whatever fun things you have around. It’s perfect for birthdays, themed parties, or anytime you want to surprise someone special. I’ve made it a few times now, and it always brings big smiles. Try it once—you’ll want to build a cake castle again and again!
