Fans unite! This Stranger Things Cake is a delicious chocolate, white and red cake decorated to the nines to represent all the fun this show has to offer!
Do I have any Stranger Things fans in the house? I’m jumping up and down with my arm raised high, because this girl right here is a HUGE fan. Well my son and I are both huge fans!
So my middle son just had his birthday on Sunday. He is now the big 11. And wouldn’t you know it, he wanted a Stranger Things cake! He sure did this mama proud and I HAPPILY catered to him. I mean this was the cake of my dreams and since it was his as well I couldn’t of been more ecstatic.
So if you aren’t familiar with the show, it’s based in a small town in Indiana. Well this little boy goes missing and was taken by this monster but he isn’t dead. He is considered to be in the upside down.
No one but his mom really believed at first that he was still alive despite them “finding his body” and holding a funeral. And she used Christmas lights to communicate with him. She strung them up on her wall and painted the alphabet underneath so he could spell out what he was saying.
The layers of the cake represent the present and the upside down with white being present, red being crossing over and brown being the upside down.
And the eggos, well they have no explanation to them if you’re a fan. If not it represents this little girl who escapes this facility who has telekinesis and can enter the upside down with her mind. And she just so happens to be addicted to eggos.
So there is the explanation to this cake in a nutshell. So this is the absolute best cake for you if you’re a Stranger Things fan or know someone who is. Have a birthday or party coming up? Then this Stranger Things Cake is seriously for you.
Since this wasn’t the only cake I was making for his birthday I choose to doctor up a cake mix real good and it turns out absolutely delicious moist and fluffy cake that just melts in your mouth.
So to all my Stranger Things fans, this one is for you! And check out all my other fun CAKES when you get the chance!
Stranger Things Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 2 Tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large egg whites
- Red food coloring
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips melted
- 1 Tbs cocoa powder
Frosting:
- 1 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
- 7-8 cups powdered sugar
- Wilton black decorating icing small round tip
- Peanut M&M's
- Mini eggos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Line 3 8" round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray, set aside.
- In large bowl whisk together your cake mix, flour, sugar and salt.
- Add in your water, vegetable oil, extracts, sour cream and egg whites and beat with mixer until combined.
- Divide batter evenly between your three bowls.
- In one bowl leave cake mix as is, in the second bowl add red food coloring to reach desired red color consistency.
- In the third bowl stir in your cocoa powder and melted chocolate.
- Pour into prepared cake pans.
- Place in oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched and toothpick comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- To make your frosting in large bowl beat together your butter and shortening until light and fluffy.
- Add in your extract and continue to beat.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency and flavor.
- Once cake is cooled place the chocolate cake layer on a turn table or cake stand.
- Add about 3/4 cup of your frosting and smooth out until about 1/2" from sides.
- Top with your red layer and repeat with frosting and lastly topping with the white layer.
- Thinly apply a coat of frosting on the outside and top of cake to seal in your crumbs, this is called the crumb coat.
- Place in refrigerator or cool place for about 20 minutes to set up and harden slightly.
- Remove from refrigerator and continue to decorate with remaining frosting reserving about 1 cup for the top.
- Place remaining frosting in piping bag fitted with a star tip (doesn't matter what kind) and set aside.
- About 1" down from the top of the cake mark off little lines (13) about 2" apart all the way around.
- Using your black food coloring bag (or make black yourself and place into piping bag fitted with a small round tip) right above the lines about 1/2" from top start piping your frosting around the top making sure to go slightly up and down with bag to create a string of lights effect.
- Add your M&M's where you made your lines and pipe the alphabet A-M under the M&M's.
- About 1" below your letters mark off 13 lines again between each of the letter so they appear to not be on top of one another and repeat with the black food coloring, M&M's and remainder of your alphabet.
- Pipe large swirls around the top of your cake and place mini eggos on every other swirl and press down gently.
- Refrigerate before serving if desired.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Elsie
did you have a problem with the M&Ms staying in place?
Tornadough Alli
I did not as long as you press them in hard enough that the frosting is able to hold them in well.
Pindi
Do you cook the mini waffles or just place on top? Love this cake, super creative!
Tornadough Alli
The waffles are cooked 🙂 and thanks! We love this cake.
Natalie
Such a great idea! I LOVE Stranger Things and this cake is so cool and looks yummy!
Richa Gupta
Such a colorful and delicious cake that anyone would love!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
I love the layers! Gorgeous!
Kim
This looks wonderful! I want to make it for my great niece’s birthday. Could I use 9″ cake pans and if so, would I need additional batter? Would the bake time increase as well?
Thanks,
Kim
Tornadough Alli
You should have no problem using 9″ cake pans, the time would actually decrease because it’s less batter to bake in each pan, I would just say use the same baking time, but check every once in awhile for doneness. No additional batter will be needed at all, it may just be a little shorter, which is fine.
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
Yes to apple desserts!! Beautiful cake!
Melissa Williams (@PPlates)
It’s so perfect! I haven’t watched the show (yet) but I love this =)