How to Decorate a Snake Cake - Cooking for the Holidays

Decorating a Fondant Snake Cake

In honor of Year of the Snake 2013, Sylvestermouse and Son joined together once again to create a unique and original cake. Our Snake Cake is easy and fun to decorate. As always, I share step by step instructions for decorating the snake cake, as well as tons of photos to help you create your own Fun Food work of art!

My son drew and designed the creation based on his extensive knowledge of the Coral snake. I had the easiest job of finding the right shaped pans, the necessary tools and ingredients for a tasty dessert. In addition to our own input, we were thrilled to have my niece join us for this day of baking and add her own creative ideas. We all had our hands in the assembly. By the end of the day, some of those hands were red and others were dyed black, but the end result was well worth it!

Oh, and I even share my favorite tip of the day! What we used to make the reptilian skin design. I am still laughing that my son was responsible for coming up with that ingenious suggestion! Get ready to wrap yourself around this design, because here we go!

This cake is an original design of: Sylvestermouse & Son

Complete Supply List for Decorating a Snake Cake

A Complete List of Supplies is provided here, but all items are either featured above or below the instructions for your convenience. Sometimes just seeing the item, makes it easier to find when we need it. Each featured item is also directly linked if you would like to buy or check prices today.

12 Cup Bundt Pan
Half of a Doughnut Pan
Mini Football Silicone Mold
Fondarific Buttercream Wedding White ~ 2 Pounds
Fondant Tools ~ Fondant Rolling Pin, Rolling Mat, Fondant Smoother
AmeriColor Student Soft Gel Paste Food Color
Wilton Dab-N-Hold Edible Adhesive
Fishnet Panty Hose ~ any size, any color
Two Black Jelly Beans for Eyes

Where to Begin When Decorating a Snake Cake

Since this article is about decorating the cake, we are going to start with the baked cakes in the photos, but I do want to share the pans needed to get the right shapes for the snake cake.

I used a Bundt pan for the base coil of the snake, half of a smaller doughnut cake pan for the upper coil and a football muffin pan for the head and tail.

You will need 2 Boxed Cake Mixes or 2 Cake Recipes. One recipe for the Bundt pan and one recipe to split for the doughnut pan and football mold.

Similar pans to the ones I used are featured here for your convenience:

EMES Sports Balls Athlete silicone Mold Chocolate Candy fondant mold Mini Cake PanCheck Price Cake Pan, 12 Cup Premium Fluted Cake Pan for baking, 10In Non-Stick Cake PanCheck Price REKIDOOL Big Size Silicone Donuts Pan Non-stick Cake Baking Molds for Bagel and Doughnut (8 Inch Pink)Check Price

Bake the Cakes and Allow Them To Completely Cool – 1 Bundt Cake, 1 Doughnut Pan Cake (only half of of a doughnut) & Mini Footballs (You will Need At Least 2 Footballs)

Snake Cake pan — One Bundt cake for the Bottom Coil of the Snake Cake.

Mini Footballs Pan — Mini Footballs will be used for the head and tail of the snake.

Before We Placed the Fondant on the Cake, We Frosted Each Layer of the Cake with a Very Thin Layer of Regular Buttercream Icing

This adds flavor and helps hold the fondant in place.

Preparing the Fondant

Kneed and Color 1/3 of the Container of Fondant in Black. It takes approx. 15 drops of soft gel fondant color to get a deep black.
Kneed and Color 1/3 of the Container of Fondant in Red. It takes approx. 14 drops of soft gel fondant color to get a dark red.
Kneed and Color 1/2 of the Remaining Fondant in Yellow. It takes approx. 8 drops of soft gel fondant color to get the bright yellow color of the strips.

Decorating the Bottom Coil of the Snake

Cover the Entire Bundt Cake with Prepared Black Fondant (Use Fondant Smoother to Smooth Fondant. Trim and tuck at the bottom edges of the cake.)
Cut 4 Red Strips and Place, equally spaced, on Black Fondant Bundt Cake. Strips should be cut 3″ wide X 8″ Long. Trim and tuck as needed around the edges of the cake.
Cut 8 Yellow Stripes and Place on Each Side of Each Red Strip and Gently Press into Place. Stripes should be cut 3/4″ wide and 8″ Long. Trim and tuck as needed around the edges of the cake.

Wilton Decorate Smart Fondant SmootherCheck Price 26×16 Inch Extra Thick Silicone Baking Mat with Measurements, Non-slip and Reusable – For Cookies, Bread, PastryCheck Price Wilton 1907-1211 Fondant Gum Paste Rolling Pin with Rings, 20-InchCheck Price

Photos of Decorating the Bottom Coil of the Snake

Snake Cake Tutorial — Cover the Entire Bundt Cake with Prepared Black Fondant

Favorite Tip of the Day

Use Fishnet Panty Hose to Make the Reptilian Skin Design!

Making the Reptilian Skin

My son devised a way to make the snake-skin and I love this ingenious plan!

We made the reptilian skin by pressing fishnet panty hose on the fondant cake! Much easier than trying to carve that repetitive design over the entire cake.

SAMFE Seamless Fishnet Panty HoseCheck Price

Decorating the Top Coil of the Snake – This is the Same as the Bottom Coil Except with Smaller Pieces

Cover the Entire Doughnut Cake with Prepared Black Fondant (Remember to Use Fondant Smoother to Smooth Fondant. Trim and tuck at the bottom edges of the cake.)
Cut 4 Red Strips and Place, equally spaced, on Black Fondant Bundt Cake. Strips should be cut approx. 2 1/4″ wide X 7 1/4″ Long. Trim and tuck fondant.
Cut 8 Yellow Stripes and Place on Each Side of Each Red Strip and Gently Press into Place. Stripes should be cut a little over 1/2″ wide and 7 1/4″ Long. Trim and tuck fondant as needed.

Decorating the Head of the Snake

Cover one Mini Football with Black Fondant. Trim and tuck edges.
Add a Yellow Stripe
Glue Jelly Bean Eyes into Place with Wilton Dab-N-Hold Edible Adhesive
Use a red fondant strip for tongue

The Snake Cake

Decorating the Tail of the Snake Cake

Cut and shape remaining Mini Footballs to make tail of the snake.
Cover with either Red or Black Fondant (whichever you have the most remaining. We used Red Fondant)
Add a few yellow strips (as pictured)
The very tip of the tail is simply shaped Black Fondant!
If you used black fondant for the main color of the tail, I recommend using a red shaped tip

The Best Tasting Fondant! – Fondarific Buttercream Fondant Also Comes in Colors If You Do Not Want to Color It Yourself!

We elected to color our fondant with soft gel colors so we could get the depth of color we wanted to make a striking snake cake.

Wilton Decorator Preferred White Fondant for Cake Decorating, 5 lbCheck Price Wilton Dab-N-Hold Edible Adhesive, 2fl.oz.Check Price AmeriColor Basic Six Kit Soft Gel Paste Food Color, 0.75 Ounce, 6 Pack KitCheck Price

Thank You!

A great big thank you and many hugs to my son and niece who made creating this snake cake so much fun and a wonderful memory of our day spent together!

Your ideas, suggestions, hard work and love truly made this Snake Cake a Fun Food Masterpiece!

We couldn’t resist goofing around a little!

Do you See the Mouse!

Zak! Designs MeeMe Square Serving Tray, 12.5Check Price

My Serving Tray

This has become one of my favorite cake display trays.

The handles make it really easy to move around or lift in and out of the refrigerator.

Credits for This Article

This recipe article was originally published by me in 2013 on a different site that no longer exists.

Article Author Verification: Sylvestermouse

All Photos are the Personal Property of Sylvestermouse

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